Road to Exlandia
by LunaRyuu
Summary: On his 18th birthday, Link chances a meeting with a young priestess who reveals that there is a new continent in the sky, where another holy blade sleeps; awaiting its hero.
1. Chapter 1: Birthday

A/N: So I have returned from a long respite. Hopefully I will be here to stay. I intend on making this fic pretty long, somewhere along 20-25 chapters. If we keep going with this format, the chapters might all be pretty long too. I'm going to set up a blog where I'll have notes about the story and my OCs and link you to it as soon as I can.

Disclaimer: Don't own the Zelda characters, just my own.

Chapter 1: Birthday

"Liiink!"

The shrill sound of a familiar female's voice rang through his pointy Hylian ears. He responded by rolling over and covering his head with a pillow.

BANG! The distinct sound of a door slamming open and footsteps foreshadowed Link's least favorite thing about having friends. His covers and pillow were suddenly wrenched off of him and Link became all too aware of the world of the conscious.

"Link, wake up, ya big oaf!"

The pillow came slamming back down on his head and Link groaned lazily with discontent, but otherwise didn't budge. The young blond heard a frustrated huff and braced himself for another hit, but was slightly surprised when instead was met with the sound of footsteps retreating from the room.

Link relaxed, smiling to himself, and almost returned to the world of slumber…when he remembered something. He shot up from his bed, just when the "pest" from before returned, toting a bucket filled to the brim with water, presumably _cold_ water knowing her, sloshing dangerously close to the rim.

"Nooo, Nina! I'm up, ok? I'm up!"

The girl, now identified as Nina, sighed, setting the bucket down on the floor and tossed her medium-length brown hair off of her shoulder.

"Good," she said with a devious smile, "I knew I would only have to do that once in your lifetime to get my point across that I mean business."

Link shuddered, glancing into the clear depths of the water filled bucket, remembering the first time Nina had splashed him with water when he refused to get out of bed.

"And now that you're awake and I have your attention…."

She paused, which made Link bring his attention back to her, just as her arm slammed into his chin, with the rest of her body colliding forcefully into him, tumbling the both of them back onto his bed.

"Happy birthday!"

Link gasped in surprise and pain, and just as quickly as she had tackled him, she sat back on her haunches beside him. Link sat up, rubbing his head disorientedly just as she shoved a small box into his face. The young blond blinked and crossed his eyes to look at the object just inches from his nose.

"Go on, open it!" Nina egged, forcing the box into his hands and waiting with barely contained excitement for him to open it.

Link bit his lip, then carefully pulled the green ribbon wrapping the box, unraveling it, and let it fall onto his bed. He lifted the cover and peered inside. Inside the box lay a green and brown figurine made out of…?

"Bomb wicks!" Nina answered his unvoiced question. "It's made of the string we use for bomb wicks in the shop. It's…supposed to be you! I made it myself…" she trailed off as he lifted it from the box and stared at it with wide, curious eyes. "…do you like it?"

Link returned his attention to her, his face splitting into a warm, genuine, maiden-swooning smile. "Yeah, I like it a lot. Thank you Nina," he replied.

Her face turned bright red with embarrassment at his sincerity, but she looked pleased. He turned it over in his hands, marveling at the detail. It was about three inches in length, with the body, like she said, made entirely out of the stringy off-white material used to make bomb wicks. It looked exactly like him: green tunic with matching hat and brown belt and sword strap made of cloth, big, googly blue eyes made out of blue stained glass, golden blond hair made of cuckoo feathers dyed gold.

He grinned again. "I'll keep it with me as a lucky charm."

Nina grinned too, letting out a happy sigh. "Well, I'm glad you like it, otherwise you'd be paying for all that wick I used to make it!"

Link gave her a bland look as she hopped off his bed. She smoothed down her green V-neck blouse then spun around to face him, hands on her hips.

"So! How does it feel to be 18?"

Link scratched the back of his head, still gazing at the wick figurine. "I dunno…not much different from 17, I guess," he said, somewhat unconvincingly.

Nina snorted. "You're such a terrible liar Link! You're totally excited and just trying to hide it!"

Link smiled and laughed half-heartedly. "Ha, I guess you got me."

In actuality, deep down in his irrational center, he couldn't help but get the feeling that somehow, by some divine guiding force, he would be forced to relive his childhood _again_; stuck in some never ending loop of fate…

"…so hurry up and get dressed so we can go so see Kalen!" Nina's voice interjected into his thoughts.

Link blinked, looking up at her, thoughts of destiny and timelines dancing slowly back into his subconscious. "Oh right."

"I'll go get Epona ready for the ride." Nina turned to head out the door, nearly tripping over the bucket on the floor. "You can even use this water to wash your face. Aren't I a great friend to have brought it in for you?" she said sarcastically on her way out.

Link swung his legs over the side of the bed and stared at his reflection in the bucket. He didn't feel like he looked a day older than from when he had done battle with Ganondorf at the age of 17 in the alternate future the Master Sword had created. The blond poked at his cheeks and forehead, making various faces into the water.

He had led an overall carefree life after returning to his childhood. Officially leaving the forest at age 13, as he was too big for his Kokiri treehouse, Link built a homely little cottage on the outskirts of Hyrule Castle Town near a small gathering of trees. He spent his days, when not traveling all over Hyrule, practicing his swordplay with his friend Kalen, or his archery, making wooden targets.

Link had met Kalen and Nina when they were all young and they had been close friends ever since. After returning to his own timeline, after defeating Ganon, Link hurried to the castle to warn Zelda about the evil Gerudo king. As a result, Link was known throughout Hyrule as the messenger that had averted a crisis, rather than as the Hero of Time. He was still loved and called a Hero, though Link wondered how the people could accept his tales so easily with little to no proof. To amend for his guilty conscious of not giving the people the full story, Link made it his duty to travel around Hyrule, lending out a helping hand whenever needed; much to the annoyance of Nina and Kalen who felt he was a little _too_ selfless.

"You just don't understand," Link would tell them whenever they would shake their heads as he charged head first into any heroic situation, "I have this burden upon my shoulders. I have to _be_ there for the people. That's the only way I can live up to my title as a "hero."

And Nina would sigh and say, "No, Link. There is no burden. You've done what you had to do already. You're just a normal guy now. Do normal guy stuff! This is your life. Isn't that why Zelda sent you back?"

The irony of Nina saying those things always annoyed Link, since she only half-believed his stories about awakening the sages and battling Ganon. Kalen on the other hand, had always hung on every word that came out of his mouth as he told his stories of his adventures. Though the boys were the same age, Kalen always looked up to Link, revering him as a hero, but at the same time treating him like a normal guy, if that was even possible. You would just have to meet him to understand.

Link knelt by the bucket and dipped his hands into the water. "Cold as ice," he muttered out loud, shaking his head. He splashed a bit onto his face, cringing at the feeling of icicles rolling down his cheeks. He grabbed a towel and dabbed himself dry, then proceeded to get dressed.

The young hero had just barely tightened the belt of his tunic over his beige pants, when he heard a blood-curdling scream outside.

"Liiiink!" cried Nina's voice.

Link's hero instincts kicked in instantly; he grabbed his Gilded sword mounted on the wall above his bed and was out the back door.

The back of his cottage faced a small stream that was fed by the moat just outside the gate of Hyrule Castle Town. He had built a small stable for his beloved mare Epona close to it for easy access to the water for washing and drinking. Nina sat about five feet from the bank, with her back facing Link.

Link ran up to her, concerned as she didn't react to his presence. "What? What's wrong?" the golden blade bearing young man demanded, looking all around for some sign of a threat.

Nina lifted a weak arm and pointed forward. Link followed her gesture and for the first time, looked into the light babbling brook. His eyes widened in horror. There, washed up on the bank, face up, was what appeared to be a dead body.

Link dropped his sword, the loud clang of it landing on the stony surface startled Nina out of her stupor, and ran into the stream. As he approached, he could now identify that it was the body of a young woman who looked about his own age. Her long azure tresses spread around her like a blanket, covering most of her upper torso. Thankfully it did, as her clothes were in tatters, her body bruised and bloody. Link sloshed into the water, kneeling so he could scoop the young woman into his arms.

"_Don't touch it_!" Nina squealed, suddenly right behind him.

Link ignored her protests, because now that he held her, despite the cold water that splashed all around the both of them, he could feel her _warmth_. The young hero turned to his childhood friend, a fiercely determined look upon his face.

"She's _alive_."

()()()()()()()()

Reviews would be appreciated. Let me know what you think.


	2. Chapter 2: Luna

Chapter 2: Luna

Link paced back and forth as Nina sat by his bed, wringing a cloth of the excess warm water and set it upon the mysterious blue haired girl's forehead. He stopped for a moment to look at her, helpless and weak, lying underneath his covers, wearing his Zora's tunic. It was obviously too big for her; the normally elbow length sleeves reached almost to her wrists, the collar grazed her cheeks, and the "skirt" brushed against her shins. Her chest rose and fell beneath the extra folds of blue fabric at a steady rate.

She was…beautiful, he realized. Her long blue hair reached down to the back of her knees. Her face was flawless and childish, though her womanly curves provided a semi-accurate gage of how old she was. He couldn't stop the heart-wrenching feeling that swelled up inside of him whenever he thought back to her original state: blood-stained clothes in tatters, and bruises all over her arms and legs. Her wounds had healed surprisingly quickly, which convinced Link that she must be bathed in magic, a conclusion that was also made obvious by her unnatural blue hair.

Nina looked up at him with somber eyes. "Calm down Link. She's doing fine. She's breathing easy and she's not even bruised up anymore, see? Though _that_ is weird in its own right…"

"Why was she bruised up at all? What was a girl like her doing in a place that put her in so much danger?" Link pointed out.

Nina could only shrug. "Look, Hyrule can be a dangerous place. Especially for little prissy looking girls like her."

"Ok…" Link crossed his arms and stared his childhood friend down. "So why was she washed up in the stream behind my house? This area isn't dangerous, even at night. I've made sure of that."

The brunette glared at Link, exasperated. "I don't know, ok? We're just gonna have to wait for her to wake up and tell us herself, if she even _knows _why herself."

Link bit his lip and uncrossed his arms, sticking his hand into his pocket to finger the figurine she had given him just an hour before. "Sorry," he muttered, apologetically. A few moments of awkward silence passed between them both. "Um…I'm really glad you were here. It would have been difficult to change her clothes on my own."

Nina snorted. "You'd better be glad I was here! Who knows what you would have done to her!" she retorted, semi-joking.

Link turned red. "What? I would never…!"

"Ughh…"

The two of them froze at the sound of the young girl moaning. Large sapphire blue eyes opened, gazing upon the world. She sat up, much to Nina's protests, and looked at the two of them with an oddly blank expression.

"Um…hi? Are you feeling alright? We found you floating in the stream behind this house…" Nina said, to catch her attention, noting with frustration that the azure haired maiden was staring a little _too_ curiously at Link.

With a swiftness totally unexpected from someone who had been on the brink of death not too long before, the mysterious maiden stood from the bed and flung her arms around Link. Before he could really react, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down into a passionate, yet innocent kiss.

Her cherry sweet lips were full and soft, pressing firmly against Link's mouth. Unintentionally, he breathed in her alluring scent of vanilla and lavender, his hands, which originally were intended to hold her off, became entangled in her wild locks. The world seemed to fade around the two of them, as he could feel her heart beating rapidly against his chest, her magic pulsing beneath her flesh. She pulled back what seemed like an eternity later, and gazed up at him, her large bright eyes filled with delight and her cheeks flushed.

"You even taste like a hero," she said, her voice like a melody in Link's ears.

Too stunned was he, his face brighter than a ruby, to react to her strange musings. Nina stood, mouth wide open, eyes bugged out, before she picked her jaw up off the floor and marched up to the pair, still holding each other.

"What the _hell_ are you doing?" Nina exclaimed, grabbing the girl by the too big collar and flinging her backwards to fall onto the bed.

"Nina! She could be still injured!" Link protested weakly, lips still tingling from the tantalizing kiss.

Nina turned on him with daggers in her eyes. "I don't care!" She turned to the young girl, who stared up at the brunette with almost childlike fear imminent upon her face. "Are you _nuts_? Why are you kissing a man you don't even know like he's some long lost lover or something!"

The blue haired girl brought a small fist to her lips, eyes fearfully darting between the two of them. She shot up from the bed, once again quicker than they expected, and hid behind Link, peeking out at Nina from underneath his arm.

"Don't hide behind him! He's not gonna protect you from me!" Nina growled, hands outstretched, begging to strangle the poor girl.

Link frowned, shielding the frightened girl from the brunette. "No, Nina. She's awake now, let's let her explain herself finally." He marveled at how firm his voice was, despite his mind being mush. He nodded down at the girl who stared up at him. "Go on. You have a lot to explain…as long as you're comfortable."

With this, the mysterious maiden smiled, her worries and fears instantly vanishing, and nodded, stepping out slightly from behind Link, but making sure to be close, lest Nina's hands got too close to her neck.

"I…apologize for not introducing myself immediately before greeting you," she began, Nina snorting at her word choice, "My name is Luna. I am a Priestess of Nayru." She curtsied lightly, pulling out the ends of the too big tunic, noting what she was wearing for the first time. "Ah! How cute!" She twisted this way and that, swishing the tunic skirt around her legs, her attention averted.

Nina's fingers clenched and unclenched, begging for the innocent girl's neck.

"Priestess of Nayru…?" Link repeated, confused. "I've never heard of that before."

Luna blinked, returning her attention to the blond hero, her eyes filled with admiration. She grasped his large hands in her own tiny ones, stepping close to him once more. "It is truly destiny that we meet, my hero. As of this moment, my mind, body, and soul belong to you."

"Wha..?" Link blubbered, as Nina wrenched the two of them apart again.

"What are you going on about now? Did you trip and hit your head on a rock and fall in that stream or something?"

Luna looked at her, genuinely confused. "No? I didn't." She turned to Link. "But it is fortunate that the stream carried me here. I don't know what I would have done if I didn't find you right away!"

"You are the Hero of Time, correct? I need you. Something terrible has happened," the azure-haired maiden's perfect face twisted into a saddened frown.

"Whoa whoa," Nina interjected, before Link's hero instincts could fully kick in. "Link's just a regular guy. A regular guy who's _birthday_ is today. I'm not gonna let you ruin that with your sick little jokes!"

Link frowned at Nina, angered by her lack of consideration. "Nina! This is obviously no sick joke. You know just as well as I do, that she was clearly attacked. You can't get wounds like that from 'tripping and hitting your head on a rock.' Show a little compassion!"

Nina was taken aback, suddenly feeling ashamed, because she knew he was right. She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at the strange girl, eyes looking her up and down with distrust.

Luna looked between the two of them nervously. "Birthday?" she repeated. Her eyes widened as if realizing something.

Link smiled warmly down at her and placed a placating hand upon her shoulder. "Please, why don't you explain everything?" he said gently.

Luna nodded determinedly. "Of course."

They sat down at Link's homely dining table, and Luna took a deep breath, preparing for her story.

"My sisters and I are Goddess Priestesses. We serve the goddesses by protecting an artifact gifted to each of us in my homeland of Exlandia," Luna began.

"Exlandia?" Link repeated, raising an eyebrow.

Luna nodded. "Yes, it is an island about two miles south of Hyrule. It floats in the sky, normally protected by a cloud barrier, but recently the barrier has weakened, for reasons I'm not entirely sure of."

Nina rolled her eyes, "An island that floats in the sky…" she muttered incredulously to herself.

"A powerful sorceress attacked the island. She cursed the land, causing wicked vines to sprout up, sucking the life out of all living things. Most of my people have been killed…my sisters and I fended off the sorceress as best as we could. My older sister Reiya and I were injured badly in the battle, so my eldest sister, Nassira, sent us here to Hyrule, while she stayed behind to protect the island."

Luna clutched the fabric of the Zora tunic tightly over her heart. "I'm worried for my sister Nassira…and Reiya too. We have been separated. And my mirror…I can't find it!"

Link immediately turned to Nina, who was shaking her head skeptically. "Did she have a mirror on her when we pulled her out of the stream?" he asked, frowning at her lack of belief.

Nina crossed her arms over her chest. "No, there was nothing," she said, simply. Link narrowed his eyes.

The blond stood from his chair, surprising the other women, and grabbed Nina by the arm, forcefully pulling her to her feet. "Ow Link, watch it!" she protested.

"We need to talk. Outside," he said, no room for argument in his voice. He smiled lightly at Luna, who peered up at him curiously. "We'll be right back, ok? I apologize."

Outside, Link gently closed the door behind himself and turned on Nina. "What's your problem? I don't like how rude you're being to her!"

"Are you kidding me?" Nina countered. "This girl is crazy! Exlandia? Floating island in the sky? It's all hogwash. She probably got attacked by a Wolfos, bumped her head on a rock and fell in the stream. She's delusional. Completely delusional!"

"Shhhh!" Link hissed. "You're so loud, she can probably hear you!"

"Yes, I can," came Luna's voice. The pair jumped in embarrassment, as they looked to see Luna's head poking out the window, watching them unabashedly.

"I have a clear memory of what happened up till I was transported here to Hyrule. Also, what is a Wolfos?"

Nina sighed, face-palming as Link smiled, scratching the back of his head. "Uh…nevermind about that," he said.

Luna smiled in return. "Are we continuing the conversation outside? Shall I come out too?" She placed a hand on the windowsill, as if she was preparing to hop over it.

"No no!" Link waved his arms to stop her. "We'll just come inside!" He turned and glared at Nina. 'Be nice' he mouthed to her, before turning to open the door and usher the reluctant brunette inside.

()()()()()()()()()

I'm loving the character Luna is developing into! Expect more silliness from her. There's waaay more to come!

-LunaRyuu


	3. Chapter 3: Kalen

Chapter 3: Kalen

Link took a sip of the warm tea, closing his eyes as its sweetness tingled his taste buds.

"Mmm…" he murmured contently.

Across from him, Nina took a sip of tea as well, her face twisting into a reluctant grimace of pleasure. She set the cup down, and glanced behind her, rolling her eyes.

Luna was busy bussing Link's Mirror Shield, to the point where the sunlight shining in through the window glinting off of it was unbearably blinding. She hummed happily as she worked, moving on to the Hylian Shield, her fingers working deftly and swiftly. She had tied her long blue locks back into a neat braid to keep it out of her face.

"So…Luna," Link began. The busy-body looked up, her braid swinging around and smacking her cutely in the face.

"Yes, my hero?"

Link cringed a little. "You mentioned a mirror earlier."

Luna gasped, standing up suddenly, causing the Hylian shield to clatter loudly on the wooden floor. "Oh no! I totally forgot!"

She ran up to Link and grasped him by the shoulders, practically climbing into his lap. "My mirror is so very important! We must find it!"

Nina stood up and grabbed her by the shoulders, yanking her off of Link. "For it being so important, it sure didn't seem to be on your mind while you were polishing _each of Link's arrows_!" Nina snapped.

Luna smiled sheepishly, bringing a finger up to scratch her cheek. "Ah yes…I get distracted easily. When I saw how dusty they were, I couldn't just dust _one_. And then the gauntlets looked like they needed a nice shining as well, then I noticed his shields were looking a little dull-"

"Can we stop talking about my lack of cleaning, please?" Link interjected, annoyedly.

"Ah yes, the mirror. I apologize. Nayru's Mirror. It is the artifact that I was blessed with to protect by the goddess Nayru. It allows me to peer into the river of time for any object I wish."

"Sounds pretty convenient," Nina said. "Tell me, if you're able to look into the future or whatever, why didn't you foresee your homeland being attacked?"

Luna bit her lip, her normally cheery features darkened with despondence. "It's…it's not as simple as that. Peering into the future is very volatile. I can't control how far into the future I can see…but…I've practiced using the mirror just about my whole life, so everyone around me expects me to have full mastery over it. I…I feel like everyone blames me for not foreseeing this happening…"

A single tear slid down her round cheek, and she wiped it away quickly with the back of her hand. Link looked panicked, not sure what to do with a crying girl.

"Now, now, don't cry!" Link said hurriedly, placing his hands gently on her shoulders. She looked up at him, eyes wide and childlike. He gave her a warm smile, hoping to ease her fears. "I'm sure you would have done everything in your power to prevent something like this from happening if you could."

The azure-haired maiden smiled through her tears up at the hero. She lifted her arms, timidly at first, but then took in a determined deep breath and cupped Link's cheeks, pulling him down to her.

Nina shoved her hand into Link's face, bending his neck back and breaking Luna's grip on him. She wedged her elbow in-between them and shoved it into Luna's chest, pushing her back.

"Stop trying to kiss him!" she exclaimed vehemently.

"I was just trying to say thank you!" Luna protested.

"You don't say thank you by kissing men you don't know! You just _say_ thank you!"

Link grabbed Nina's hand and peeled it off of his face. "I appreciate you trying to protect my virtues Nina, but please don't rough her up," Link said, his face a little flushed.

Nina whirled on him, a wild look in her eyes. "If she tries to kiss you one more time! _One more time_!"

Luna gasped, as if something just occurred to her, and brought both fists to her mouth, her eyes darting nervously between the two. "Oh no! I'm so sorry. I didn't realize the nature of your relationship!"

Nina's eye twitched, knowing the next word's out of Luna's mouth were going to make her see red.

Luna shook her head, her large braid swinging wildly behind her. "I didn't mean to be kissing your husband, Nina!"

Suddenly a Deku stick was in Nina's hands; it might as well have materialized out of necessity. The furious brunette swung it horizontally, knocking the tea kettle off of the table noisily to the floor but missing Luna by a hair, as she had deftly flung herself onto the ground.

"Please don't kill me! I didn't mean to meddle into your marriage affairs!" she squeaked fearfully, covering her head and squeezing her eyes shut.

A roar escaped Nina's maw as she switched stances to swing the Deku stick powerfully down upon the quivering priestess. Luckily for both of them, Link wrestled the wooden rod out of the crazed brunette's hands, snapping it in the process. The two broken pieces clattered harmlessly to the floor.

Luna flinched at the sound, slowly moving her arms to assess the damage. The first thing she noticed was the tea kettle that had been a casualty in the ordeal, spilling its contents all over the wooden floor.

"Nina! You can't be swinging Deku sticks at people! Not everyone can take a hit like Kalen can!" Link protested angrily, restraining her from getting any closer to Luna.

"Let go of me! She needs another hit to the head!"

"She just misunderstood! Don't take it so seriously!"

They both stopped at that moment, when they noticed that Luna was working furiously to clean up the tea spill with towels from the kitchen.

Nina took in several deep breaths then relaxed, Link loosening his bind on her, hesitantly. She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest, and gave Link an annoyed look. "Even though every fiber in my being wants me to smash her over the head with something blunt and heavy, I can't stay mad at her. She's so cute, it's irritating!" she grumbled, gesturing to the maiden who was retrieving a bucket to drain the tea soaked towels into.

She looked up at this moment, wisps of her blue hair that escaped from her braid framing her face, nervously looking between the two of them. "Have I…have I done something wrong?" she asked timidly.

Nina rolled her eyes, walking over to her. Link tensed up, but relaxed when Nina merely grabbed Luna by the braid and dragged her towards the door.

"Let's go find your damn mirror," she growled.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Outside, a gentle cool breeze blew across the plains of Hyrule Field, creating a welcomed respite from the relentless sun that beat down upon them at midday. They had been sloshing through the stream for nearly an hour now, with no luck, searching for Luna's elusive mirror.

Link stood up straight, wiping his moist brow with the back of his hand and leaned backwards, cracking his back. He glanced over at his two female companions, who were looking just as discouraged as he felt.

"Oy, priestess girl. Can't you sense the mirror or something?" Nina groaned, pushing her brown locks behind her elongated ears.

Luna turned around, setting the large rock she had lifted back down, her braid all but unraveled. "Normally I could…but the magic here is much less concentrated than in my homeland."

She sighed tiredly, falling to her knees beneath the shade of a large tree. "It's hopeless. I can't sense it at all. It must not be here…" the maiden moaned miserably.

Link motioned to Nina, and he approached Luna's perch beneath the tree. "Let's take a break then and think about this."

The two of them sat beside Luna, Nina making sure to sit in-between her childhood friend and the eccentric young girl.

"It's possible," Link began after a few minutes of comfortable silence, "that you were separated from your artifact just as you have obviously been separated from your sister. Teleportation magic can be unstable at times. And judging by the situation you said you and your sisters were in, I doubt your eldest sister was able to take time to carefully cast the spell."

Luna brought her knees up to her chest and rested her chin upon them. "Perhaps you are right…" She looked up brightly at this moment, giving Nina and Link an encouraging smile.

"Then I guess we can search all over Hyrule for both my mirror and my sister!"

Nina narrowed her eyes. "Just how big do you think Hyrule is? It would be impossible to find your little mirror if we have nothing to go off of. Your sister might be just as hard to find…" she trailed off, giving Luna a once over. "Then again, if she's just like you, she'll definitely stick out like a sore thumb…"

Luna smiled, the brunette's insult flying right over her pretty little head. "Actually my sister and I are complete opposites!"

Nina rolled her eyes. "I think I might like her a lot then…" she muttered.

Link hopped to his feet suddenly, startling the other two. He stretched his arms over his head then swung them back and forth. "Well, let's start looking in Hyrule Castle Town then. We were going to go see Kalen anyway and I think it's a great place to start. We can ask around; surely someone's seen or heard of your sister at least."

Luna hopped to her feet too, excited. "Yes! It is a great place to start! What's Hyrule Castle Town?" she said, all in the same breath.

Nina stood to her feet, grabbing hold of Luna's shoulder with a death iron grip to steady herself. She pulled the ignorant maiden into a headlock and ground her knuckles into her head. "Don't act like you know what he's talking about!"

"Owww! Ms. Nina, please stop hurting me!" Luna cried, helplessly trying to squirm out of her grasp.

Link glared at her. "Nina, let her go!"

Reluctantly, his childhood friend obeyed, and instantly the blue haired maiden scampered behind him. She peeked out at Nina, underneath Link's arm, then up at the hero who looked curiously down at her.

"She likes to hurt people, doesn't she?" Luna asked softly, as Nina walked off to Link's stable.

Link laughed lightly, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. She usually means well though."

Luna pressed a finger to her lips, a cute expression of deep thought forming on her face. "Then she's just trying to teach me the ways of your culture?" she asked, turning wide eyes up to the hero.

"Uhhh…." Link glanced over to where Nina was working on untethering her own grey and white mare, Starfire. He watched as the spirited brunette pet the nose of her horse lovingly, while speaking gentle words to her. He grinned to himself.

"Yeah I guess you could say that," he replied,

Luna looked pleased, returning with a warm smile of her own. "She has a good heart. I can tell. I promise to try my hardest to learn your customs, my hero."

Link gave her a bland look. "Call me Link, ok? It'll make Nina less likely to wanna clobber you…and I would prefer it too. I'm…I'm no hero…"

Luna gave him a strange look, opening her mouth as if to say something.

"Oy! Come on!" Nina called to them, having untethered and saddled both Starfire and Epona.

"Ah, sorry!" Link called to her. He turned to Luna and nodded. "Come on."

()()()()()()()()()()()()

The trio hurried through Hyrule Castle Town, figuring they would go see Kalen first before interrogating the townspeople. Luna gawked all around her in wonder, constantly wandering off to examine shop vendors before Nina would drag her forcefully away. The brunette's nerves were just about frayed thin by the time they reached the blacksmith shop where Nina and Link's other childhood friend worked and lived.

Nina whirled on Luna when they reached the door and stuck her finger in her face, just inches from the maiden's nose. "Don't say or do anything stupid, got it?"

Luna nodded determinedly, bringing both fists up before her. "Got it!"

Nina rolled her eyes and shook her head, opening the door to the blacksmith's shop. Inside, their noses were welcomed by the smell of burning metal. A fire roasted cheerily in the forge against the back wall which gave the room a toasty atmosphere. Various unfinished swords and armor pieces lay across several anvils set nearby the broiling flames.

Luna looked around curiously. "No one seems to be here…"

"Hello! Kalen?" Nina called.

The sound of footsteps from the staircase leading to the residence portion of the shop, alerted the three.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming…" a young man called unenthusiastically, taking slow lethargic steps down.

Nina put her hands on her hips, pursing her lips into an annoyed expression as the red-haired blacksmith apprentice took his time coming down, having not realized who the visitors were yet.

"Welcome to the shop…can I help you," he said, his voice monotonous. He looked up at this moment, and his mouth dropped open.

"Oh, hey guys! Sorry didn't realize it was you!" he hopped down the remaining steps and hurried over. He clapped a hand on Link's shoulder. "Happy birthday, man! I've got a present for you upstairs!"

Link scratched the back of his head. "You didn't have to get me anything…" he said sheepishly.

The young red head grasped Link by his shoulders and shook him twice. "Nonsense! You're my best friend!" He turned and glared at Nina who was regarding him with an irritated expression. "Besides, I know _she_ probably got you something." He stuck his tongue out at the brunette.

"But don't worry," the red head turned back to Link, "mine is ten times better!"

"It isn't a competition, you know Kalen," Nina said, twisting her hair haughtily around her finger. "And besides, Link always likes _my_ presents better."

"What!" Kalen exclaimed, taking a step towards her, fist raised. "That's not true! Tell her it's not true Link…" the boy trailed off, noticing Luna, for the first time, watching the exchange with innocent curiosity. Kalen's eyes widened, his mouth dropping open and his arms falling weakly to their sides.

Luna, noting the strange expression the red head was giving her, hid fearfully behind Link, unsure of what to make of his odd mannerisms. She peeked out at him, noting with alarm that he was still staring.

"Who's that?"

"Oh uh…" Link glanced down at Luna, who looked meekly up at him, then gave Kalen a pained expression. "Ummm…this is ah…Luna. We met her today…"

"Today?" Kalen repeated with incredulity. His eyes bugged out even further, and he gave Nina a murderous glare. "You gave him _her_ for his birthday? No fair! How am I supposed to top that!" he exclaimed.

Link's face turned red as a strawberry as Nina's fist collided with Kalen's nose and he crumpled to the floor, whimpering. "No, you idiot! I did not give Link a _girl_ for his birthday!" she growled over his crouched form.

Kalen looked up with wide, hopeful eyes, rubbing his sore nose. "Oh really? Cuz that woulda been a really great present…" he mumbled. He stood to his feet, his aching nose all but forgotten.

The red-haired apprentice smoothed back his longish hair pulled into a messy ponytail and struck a pose, extending his hand out to the confused maiden. "Well, hello there, Ms. Luna. I'm Kalen, Link's _awesome_ blacksmith friend."

Luna timidly extended her own hand out to him, which he grasped firmly, but gently and turned over to kiss her palm. The priestess yelped and yanked her hand away, in the process smacking him in his already sore nose, and turned fearful eyes to Nina, who was laughing hysterically at the exchange.

"Ow! What was that for?" Kalen grumbled, holding his nose, which was bleeding at this point.

"You…you can't kiss me! Nina will hit me again!" Luna cried, hiding behind Link again to escape Nina's wrath. Nina burst into more laughter crouching over and holding her stomach.

Kalen slowly lowered his hand from his face, giving Nina a horrified look. "Why is this funny? What have you done to this girl!" he demanded.

"No, Luna, in this case it's ok for him to kiss your hand. It's a way men greet women," Link explained.

Luna blinked surprisedly up at him. "Really? Then why did she get mad when I kissed you earlier?"

Kalen's eyes bugged out for the third time that day. "What? What the hell goes on when I'm not around!"

Link facepalmed. "It's not what it sounds like Kalen…"

"How so? She clearly just said that she kissed you!"

Nina grabbed him by the collar and pulled him away from Luna and Link. "Look we'll explain later, ok? Go get your stupid present and let's go!"

Kalen pulled away from her and smoothed his clothes down, puffing his chest out. "My present is _not_ stupid!"

Nina raised her arm menacingly. "I'm gonna make _you_ stupid if you don't get out of my sight!"

"Ok ok! I'll go get it…" the red head grumbled, sulking up the stairs.

Luna turned to Nina, still hiding behind Link. "Where are we going?" she asked timidly, squeaking lightly when Nina glanced at her.

Nina sighed. "We're gonna find somewhere secluded so we can explain things to him and then we'll start asking around for your sister," she replied, wishing the girl wouldn't cringe every time she looked at her.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Heavy dialogue in this chapter! But I loved every minute of it. I'm having a lot of fun writing this story, namely Luna and her interactions with everyone. Hopefully you're enjoying it too. I wasn't expecting to like Kalen as much when I first thought of him; I merely had him as a "buffer" so to speak so this wouldn't seem like some harem anime-esque fic, but I think he'll develop very nicely as well. Reviews are greatly appreciated.

-LunaRyuu


	4. Chapter 4: Searching for Sister

Chapter 4: Searching for Sister

Birds chirped cheerily in the gently swaying trees as a light breeze swished through the branches, jarring the shadows across the stone steps before the Temple of Time. Luna stood before the row of whitish-gray engraved stones, staring them down with morbid curiosity.

"Are you…wondering what they are?"

Link's deep voice startled the innocent maiden, and she whirled around to look at him. She nodded sheepishly, and the young hero grinned.

"They're called Gossip Stones. If you hit 'em, they tell you the time." He demonstrated this by giving one a swift kick, watching in amusement when Luna yelped in mild terror when it sproinged in place like a sack full of liquid, and squealed like a Stalchild.

"BOINNG BOINNG! The current time is 13:30!"

"Oh my! How convenient!" Luna cooed, coming out of hiding from behind the blond.

Link leaned in close to her, his lips inches from her elongated ear. "They tell you secrets if you wear a certain mask…" he added surreptitiously with a mischievous smile.

Luna's eyes widened, transforming her face into a child's that had just seen their first fairy. She opened her mouth to say something, when suddenly Nina was at her elbow, glaring Link down as if she felt she was preventing him from doing something perverted. Link's face went blank, and he turned to see Kalen dragging his feet towards them.

"Did we have to walk aaaall the way out here, just to talk?" he grumbled. He eased himself down onto the steps before the entrance to the ancient temple and leaned his head back, letting the sunlight and shadows dance across his face and red mane.

"Be lucky we're bothering at all. We could've just as easily left you at home while Link and I went on an adventure!" Nina said haughtily, smirking with satisfaction when the redhead's eyes shot open and he nearly gave himself whiplash turning to look at her.

"Adventure?" he repeated slowly, tasting the word.

Nina nodded, skipping nonchalantly over to him, Link and Luna following behind; not skipping of course.

"Yes, adventure. We were just about to embark on a wild quest, when we decided we ought to bring you along too, you know, for _moral_ support."

Kalen's eye twitched and he shot to his feet. "I'd be a lot more than just moral support!" he countered seethingly.

Nina smirked again, crossing her arms over her chest as if she had achieved her goal, then turned to Link, expectantly.

Link shook his head, wondering, for the millionth time since meeting the brunette in his childhood, what was going on in her head. He sighed, giving Luna a small smile, before turning to Kalen.

"Well…" he began. Kalen didn't miss a beat, holding his hands up to stop Link from talking.

"Whoa whoa whoa. Is that _your_ Zora tunic she's wearing?"

Link's shoulders sagged, both annoyed and embarrassed, knowing what was next to come out of his mouth.

"She kissed you earlier, she's wearing your clothes…just what _happened_ at your house?" the blacksmith trainee demanded.

"He was going to explain before you interrupted, you moron!" Nina snapped.

Kalen glanced over at Nina once, then at Link and Luna, then back at Nina, suddenly seeing her in a new light. Her face grew warm under his penetrating gaze.

"It wasn't some kind of…well…_or_-"

"NO!"

Luna jumped in surprise and fascination as both Link and Nina's voices _and_ faces synchronized into the same pitch of anger and mortification, the same shade of crimson.

Kalen crossed his arms over his chest, tapping his foot and looking thoroughly unconvinced.

Luna tiled her head to the side curiously. "What were you about to say?" she asked innocently.

"Nothing!" Link barked quickly, flinching at Luna's hurt expression.

"Sorry…it was nothing," he repeated, calmer. "Please…just explain to him what you told us," he almost begged.

Luna nodded, determinedly, the previous conversation already wiped from her mind.

()()()()()()()()()()

Kalen plopped himself back down onto the stone steps, immediately regretting it as his soft Hylian bottom met hard rock.

"I'm not really sure what to say…" he said softly.

Luna knelt beside him and grasped one of his hands in her own. She looked him deeply in the eyes, the most sincere of expressions plastered across her face. "Please, if you could help, it would be greatly appreciated! Calamity could fall upon Hyrule!" she breathed.

Kalen's lips moved clumsily, forming silent nonsense words. His eyes stared into the depths of Luna's sapphire orbs, becoming lost in their serene pools. The breeze blew stealthily at this moment, sending wisps of Luna's long tresses dancing around his face, the scent of lavender and vanilla heavy in their strands. He closed his eyes at this moment, reveling in the barrage of pleasant stimuli for a moment, before he opened his eyes, an expression of fierce determination printed across his visage.

The redhead grasped Luna's hands in his own. "Of course. I will lay down my life for you!" he exclaimed dramatically, much to Luna's ignorant delight.

Nina rolled her eyes, scoffing. "We're just looking for her sister and her mirror. What are you talking about?"

Kalen turned stern eyes to her, standing quickly to his feet. "You heard this beautiful young maiden! _Calamity_ could befall Hyrule! We must do everything we can to prevent it!"

He turned to Luna, and nodded to her, gaining a smile from her in return. "We can't just stop at finding her mirror and her long lost sister! We must go to Exlandia and purge the evil that threatens her pure lands!"

Nina shot a desperate look at Link, whose eyes burned with the same fire that spewed out of Kalen's mouth. "Stop saying those things in front of Link! You know what it does to him!"

Kalen shook his head, strands of his red hair escaping the rubber band tying it back. "No! This isn't about Link! This is about Luna! Uh…I mean Hyrule! No…not just Hyrule, the world!"

Link nodded, a wild grin, that Nina both loved and hated, splitting his face in half. "You're right Kalen. I'm glad you feel the same way I do!"

The young men grasped each other's fist in a firm shake of manhood; brothers bound by adventure and intrigue.

"I'm confused, Ms. Nina," Luna piped up, her melodic voice piercing the testosterone in the air.

Nina gave her a forlorn glare.

"You seemed like you were trying to get Kalen pumped earlier. Why the sudden change of heart?"

Nina threw her hands up in the air in defeat. "I just wanted him to want to help us look for your mirror artifact thing and your sister. I figured if I didn't make it sound interesting he wouldn't wanna help. I didn't think he would get wrapped up in this whole saving the world nonsense!"

Luna's face twisted into a light frown. "It's not nonsense. Everything I have told you was the truth!" she protested on deaf ears.

"Oh," Kalen said suddenly, reaching into his pocket and producing a small brown box wrapped in green ribbon.

"Happy birthday, Link!" he grinned broadly, pressing the box into Link's hands. "Go on, open it and tell me how much you love it."

Link sighed, glancing at Nina briefly, knowing any emotion he showed would need to be muted in her presence and pulled the ribbon loose, opening the box. Inside lay a dagger wrapped in a dark green sheath. Link curiously slid it out, revealing a glinting blade with an ornate silver hilt set with green stones.

"Rupees," Kalen said sheepishly, answering Link's unanswered question. "I broke a few green Rupees and set them in the hilt. I…uh…know how much you like green and emeralds are expensive…" he trailed off, gaging Link's expression. "Do you like it?"

Link's face split into a broad grin. "Yeah I love it. Thanks Kalen," he said, his previous promise to himself forgotten. "You made it yourself?"

The young blacksmith puffed out his chest. "Of course! I been working on it for the past week, trying to get it perfect!" he replied.

The young blond turned it over in his hands. "It's great. I'll keep it with me all the time." He slipped it back into its sheath then into the back of his boot, tapping his foot to set it into a comfortable position.

A devilish smirk formed on the redhead's face. "What did _Nina_ get you?" he pressed.

Nina stepped between them, glaring at Kalen. "What's it matter to you? Link loved my gift and that's all that matters!" she snapped, swatting at the hero's hand as he reached for his pocket to show Kalen.

Kalen's eyes zoomed in on Link's hand and he danced around Nina, snaking his hand into the blond's pocket, much to Link's displeasure, and produced the item of question.

"Aha…? What…what is this? It's…_cute_. _Why_?"

Nina snatched it from his hands, her face aflamed. "It's a figurine, ok? What's the big deal!"

"Yeah but it's cute. And _you_ made it. You can't make cute things," the redhead stated matter-of-factly.

"Stop talking. You sound really stupid right now," Nina growled, threateningly.

"Awww! How cute!" Luna cooed from behind the arguing pair.

They both whirled on her. The blue haired maiden held the figurine in her hands, fingering the soft feathers that made up Link's blond hair. Nina blinked in bewilderment, staring down at her own hands that no longer held the figure, then back at Luna.

"Wha…how did…" she sputtered.

Luna looked up, tilting her head to the side. "Hm?"

The brunette, her face a lovely shade of lobster, snatched the doll from her hands and shoved it back into Link's pocket, much to his discomfort. "Can we move on please?"

Luna looked disappointed. "It was cute…"

"Oh right. So we should get started on this epic quest then, shouldn't we? What's the first order of business, oh fearless leader?" Kalen piped up, turning to Link, not an ounce of sarcasm in his voice.

"We were going to ask around the town, see if any of the townspeople might know anything about Luna's sister. I think we should split up; we'll cover more ground that way," Link replied.

He rested a reassuring hand on Luna's shoulder seeing her fearful expression. "Don't worry, you can come with me," he added with a smile.

Nina looked like she wanted to protest, but thought better of it, realizing she just didn't have the energy to babysit Luna herself.

"Alright!" Kalen cried out, hands on his hips. "Let's split up gang!"

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Link glanced down at Luna, whose hands were clasped tightly together. She wore a light frown and her eyes darted around her nervously.

"Are you worried about your sister?"

Luna looked up at him, a discouraged expression gracing her face. "No one seems to have heard word about her…what if…what if she ended up in a stream like me and no one found her?"

The young blond cringed, scratching the back of his head. "Well uh…we'll just treat that as a worst case scenario and just keep asking around…"

The duo passed by a Lon Lon Milk vendor, where a middle aged man was setting down a heavy box full of stock. He looked up as the pair passed by. "Oh, Link!" he called.

Link stopped, and turned in the direction of his voice, and his face split into a wide grin. "Talon! Long time no see! How have you been?" he greeted, motioning for Luna to follow him over.

Talon, the Lon Lon Ranch Proprietor, clapped a hand on Link's shoulder, laughing heartily. "Great, great! How is Hyrule treating you?"

Link shrugged. "Alright I guess." He looked around briefly for a head of red hair. "Malon's not with you today, huh?"

Talon shook his head, bringing a flask of water to his lips and taking a big swig. "Nah, Malon's back at the ranch taking care of business. We've been selling a lot of horses lately, you know."

He noticed Luna at this moment, and gestured at her with the flask. "Oh, and who's this pretty little lady here? More competition for my Malon, eh?"

Link turned pink. "N-no…this is Luna. I met her today, and I'm just trying to help her find her sister she got separated from," he answered quickly.

Luna turned to Link. "Who's Malon? Is she your girlfriend?"

Talon leaned his head back and bellowed loudly with laughter as Link turned full on red, waving his hands frantically. "N-no! She's not! Malon and I are just friends!"

Luna brought a hand up to cup her chin, giving Link an unconvinced look. "Hmmm…."

Talon wiped a few laugh tears from his eyes and sighed. "You just made my day, pretty lady. It's a running little gag between me and Link here. He always gets so flustered when I tease him about marrying my daughter."

The ranch owner blinked, looking the blue haired maiden over for a moment, then brought his hand up to his chin thoughtfully. "You know, there was a young girl in Kakariko Village earlier today. She kinda looked like you. Different hair color though, but that same foreign air you seem to have about you. Maybe it's the person you're looking for?"

Luna slammed her hands onto the counter and nearly lunged across it. "Did she have red hair?" she demanded.

Talon looked taken aback at her sudden assertiveness and nodded. "I believe so. Fiesty young lady too. She was pretty banged up from what I saw. Poor Anju had a hard time getting her to stay in bed. I brought over some Lon Lon Milk for her but she refused to drink it…" Talon trailed off as Luna whirled around abruptly as if he didn't exist anymore.

"Link! That's her! My sister hates milk! Let's go find Kalen and Nina and go to this…Kaka Village!" Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed Link by the wrist and dragged him away from the stall.

"Uh thanks for the info, Talon! I'll see you later!" Link called over his shoulder as Luna rushed him through the crowds.

"Bye Link! Come by and see us at the ranch soon!" Talon called back, waving and chuckling.

()()()()()()()()()()

The four of them met back up at the fountain in the center of town to report on their findings. Luna gushed to them the news that Talon had provided them with.

"We should head over to Kaka Village now! I'm worried about my sister…and the villagers. She tends to have a bit of a temper."

Both Nina and Kalen cracked smiles; Kalen full on dissolving into a pile of giggles. Luna glared between the two of them.

"What? I'm serious! She has a tendency to blow up things when things don't go her way!"

Nina raised an eyebrow. "Ok, that's a little scary….but I think you're trying to say _Kakariko_ Village, sweety," the brunette explained.

Luna blinked. "Oh. What was I saying?"

Nina shook her head. "Nevermind. Before we head over there, I suggest we swing by my house first. We need to get you some clothes that fit, since yours are in tatters."

Kalen's eyes bugged out of his head. "Tatters?" he repeated incredulously.

Nina shoved her finger in his face. "_Don't_ even start!"

Luna looked a little disappointed, tugging gently at the extra fabric of Link's Zora tunic. "Aww, I was liking these clothes. They smell like Link," she said, turning and giving Link a bright smile.

Link turned red as Nina grabbed Luna by the hair, dragging her in the direction of her house. "Luna! Don't you start with that again either!"

They arrived shortly at Nina's humble home. Nina opened the door for them and ushered them inside. "My dad's at the shop, so we're alone. Make yourselves at home. I'll give Luna a makeover in no time flat."

The two girls went upstairs; the distinct sound of Nina's bedroom door locking filling the otherwise quiet house. Link and Kalen sat down at the small dining table to wait.

"Hey…Link," Kalen's muffled voice came from behind his hand that was pressed against his face, his elbow propping him up on the tabletop.

"No, Kalen. Nothing happened between Luna and I…and _especially_ not between the three of us."

Kalen chuckled, propping his head up like a tripod between both hands, and grinning at Link across the table. "Well yeah, I know. I was mostly joking about that. I just wanted to ask…what's your _secret_?"

Link's brow furrowed and he finally glanced over at his redheaded friend. "Secret?"

"Yeah!" Kalen leaned forward, eyes staring intently at the young blond. "Malon, Princess Zelda, this new girl Luna, just about _every woman you've ever met_! They all adore you! How do you do it?"

Link arched an eyebrow, his face growing a little warm. "That's not true…" he denied.

"Name a woman that isn't completely enamored by you!"

"Well, um…" Link thought, he really did.

"Exactly! If you weren't my best friend I'd hate you so much…" Kalen shook a fist jokingly at the blond. "So you gotta tell me, what's your secret?"

Link rolled his eyes. "I don't have a secret. I'm just myself. I'm always myself!"

"Hmm…so I have to be recklessly heroic, throwing myself into other people's problems and solve them?"

Link narrowed his eyes, annoyed. "Now, listen here…" he began.

The sound of Nina's bedroom door flying open alerted the two young men, and they turned as Nina came down the stairs, a broad grin on her face. "Now, I normally don't get excited about this sorta thing, but I think I did pretty good with the makeover!" she said. She turned and gestured up the stairs. "I present to you, Luna!"

On cue, the blue haired maiden timidly stepped down the stairs, revealing her new attire. She wore a deep blue form fitting V-neck tunic, tied at the waist with a black leather belt that was adorned with a gold buckle. Black leggings accentuated her long, lean legs. Her exceptionally long hair, which ended right at her hips, was pulled back into a neat ponytail, adorned with a white ribbon.

Kalen fell out of his seat.

"Ooo, nice!" Link said, ignoring his idiot friend on the floor and getting up to get a closer look. "Looks much better than my Zora tunic did on you. Blue is definitely your color."

Luna squeaked in reply, her cheeks flushing pink. Nina smirked, then turned on Link, shoving his tunic into his hands. "Alright, alright, quit your gawkin'. Here's your tunic back. Wash it before you wear it again. I better not catch you trying to sniff it either!"

Link grimaced. "Don't worry…I won't…" he replied awkwardly.

Nina placed her hands on her hips feeling accomplished. "Alright, I think we're all ready to head over to Kakariko now, so let's get going!" She marched out the door, Luna on her heels, without so much as a single glance at the redhead entangled with the legs of the dining chair.

"H-hey! Wait up guys!" he called from the floor.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()

A/N: Yes, that was a Scooby Doo reference.

-LunaRyuu


	5. Chapter 5: Reiya

Chapter 5: Reiya

"So…what is your sister's name anyway?"

Luna glanced up at Kalen as they were walking down the main road, towards the castle town's drawbridge entrance. "Oh, I never did mention that did I? Her name is Reiya. My eldest sister is Nassira. My mother liked names that ended in 'ah', so she named us accordingly," Luna replied with a smile. An expression of deep thought flitted briefly across her face almost imperceptibly, which Link caught, before it returned to her original cheerful expression.

"Those are all beautiful names. Fitting names for beautiful ladies," Kalen said with a wiry grin, causing pink to creep up on Luna's cheeks, to his satisfaction.

Nina draped her arm around the blue haired maiden's shoulders, pulling her closer to herself. "Don't listen to anything Kalen says, Luna. He's not sincere."

Luna's eyes widened at this information then turned accusing eyes to the red head. "You mean…you actually think I'm ugly?" Tears close to forming in her sapphire depths.

"What? No! Don't listen to Nina! She always tries to paint me into some bad person to people we've just met. I think you're very beautiful!"

Nina scoffed. "You can stop trying Kalen. She's already been affected by the Link Factor."

Ahead of the trio, Link flinched, and glared back at them. "Would you stop talking about that?"

Luna tilted her head to the side, curiously. "What's the Link Factor?"

"It's this phenomenon where every woman falls for Link when they meet him. Link needs no effort for it to activate; he merely needs to open his eyes and set his gaze upon a female, and she becomes completely enamored with him," Nina replied dramatically, fluttering her eyelashes and placing a hand over her heart. She laughed when Link started walking noticeably faster, presumably to lose them in the crowd.

"It's mostly a joke between us, but it happens so often we're beginning to think the goddesses charmed him with a love spell!" Nina giggled.

Luna brought dainty fingers to her lips, staring at Link's quickly retreating back in a new light. "Oh my…have you been affected by it too, Ms. Nina?" she asked innocently.

The brunette rolled her eyes. "No way. I've known Link too long. He can bat his eyelashes all he wants, but my heart will never go all a flutter," she replied defiantly.

"Pshh, we all know _that's_ a lie," Kalen grumbled, a bit discouraged that his advances were so quickly deterred.

"What! The Link Factor does _not_ work on me, and you know it!"

Link folded his arms behind his head, only vaguely listening to the sounds of his friend's arguing. It was a sound that he had grown accustomed to over the years. He had come to enjoy it as well, realizing that traveling with a group was comforting. It had taken some time and some convincing for him to become comfortable with them tagging along with him whenever he would go off on an excursion across Hyrule, to the point where they would get mad at him if he ever went off alone. He had a feeling the two of them felt the need to babysit him; they both regularly expressed vocally that they believed him to be reckless.

"…never seen anything like it!"

Link slowed down, the voices of a couple traders becoming prominent amongst the cacophony of noises along the streets.

"If I hadn't been sober for twenty years I would've thought I was drunk!"

"I still think you _were_ drunk. But aye…it was an amazing sight to see."

The hero came to a nearly complete stop, the trio behind him nearly bumping into him, still in the thralls of some argument.

"Never seen such a thing in my 25 years of being at sea! A giant slab of earth, clear as day, floating in the sky!"

"Looked like it was big enough to house an entire civilization!"

Luna was suddenly at Link's arm, grasping it tightly. "They must be talking about my island," she whispered, though there was really no need to. "It normally cannot be seen because of the cloud barrier surrounding it."

Link glanced back at Nina and Kalen, who had finally stopped arguing and were tuned into the two traders that were talking. Nina caught Link's gaze, then averted her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest.

"There's your proof, Nina. You shouldn't be so distrusting of everyone…"

Nina shot him a glare. "Can you blame me? Crazy blue haired girl floating half-dead in the stream behind your house, claiming to be from an island in the sky? I don't think I'm the only one that would be a little skeptical."

"You ought to realize by now that strange things happen around Link," Kalen quipped matter-of-factly. "At this point, I just kinda roll with it."

"Well, I can't just 'roll with it' Kalen. Seeing as I'm the only level-headed one around here, if I just 'rolled with it' then who knows what kind of nonsense messes you'd let Link get into!" She whirled on Link then, pointing an accusing finger in his face. "_You_ are just too trusting! It may have worked in your favor this time…and…well most other times too…but there's going to be a time when trusting someone you don't know will put you in danger!"

Link leaned back to avoid Nina's offending finger. "I act on my instincts. I'm usually a pretty good judge of character, which is why trusting people has always worked out in my favor."

"I'm just worried ok? You're not alone now. You've got people that care about you. You can't just jump into everything without thinking-"

"Whoa whoa, save the speech for later, when Link actually _does_ jump into something dangerous head first, as we all know he will do. All we've done so far is ask some people about Luna's sister. There have been no Lizalfos harmed in the process," Kalen interrupted.

Nina huffed, but remained silent. Link gave Kalen an annoyed glare. "You make me sound like some irresponsible fool…" he grumbled.

Luna grasped his hand in her own tiny ones, giving him one of her, trademark by now, shimmering smiles. "I'm sure everything you do is for justice. Being a hero is just in your blood!" she said encouragingly.

Link scratched the back of his head, blushing lightly. "Th-thank you, Luna. I appreciate it."

Luna looked like she wanted to say more, perhaps attempt to kiss him again, but was wrenched away by the ponytail by Nina. "Come on you, sap. Let's find your damn sister already!" the brunette growled.

()()()()()()()()()()

Luna held on unnecessarily tightly to Link's waist as they sped across Hyrule field to the northeast where Kakariko Village lay nestled in the shadow of Death Mountain. She squeaked with every bump, burying her face into Link's green tunic.

"You ok back there?" Link called to her, concerned.

She nodded against his back. "Y-yes! I'll just bear it– eek!"

Link slowed down to a canter, still faster than Nina's Starfire and Kalen's black steed Midnight, smiling back at the squeaking maiden. "I'll slow down for you then. We don't have much further anyway…?"

Link trailed off when he noticed that Luna's hands had suddenly gone slack. Her whole body had gone rigid, her face a scary blank expression. She started tilting to the side, apparently having no muscle control, and Link's heart skipped a beat as he quickly reached back and grabbed her around the waist, her long blue tresses merely a foot from the ground. He came to an abrupt stop, much to Epona's displeasure, and thanked the goddesses that she didn't rear up like she normally did. Link twisted around completely in the saddle, grasping Luna's slack shoulders tightly and shook her lightly.

"Luna! Luna!"

Her eyes were open, but they were blank, lifeless, devoid of their normal warm glimmer. Her body, once rigid, was now completely limp. At this point, Nina and Kalen had both caught up.

"Hey, what's going on?" Nina demanded.

"I-I don't know! She just suddenly went limp and stopped holding on to me!" Link's voice was full of panic.

Abruptly, Luna's arms snapped up and she grabbed Link by the elbows, her eyes fluttering wildly before they finally focused on his face, her breathing labored.

"Luna? Luna what happened?"

The blue haired maiden brought a hand up to her forehead, closing her eyes with a pained expression. "I saw a lake…a beautiful lake…" she said softly, almost too low for him to hear.

Link leaned in closer to her, Kalen and Nina also pulling their horses closer. Luna raised her head to look Link full on in the face. "I saw where my mirror is. Its…its at a lake…"

"Lake Hylia?" Kalen suggested.

Luna turned to him. "Hylia…?" She was still clearly disoriented.

"What happened just now? Your whole body just went limp and you nearly fell off!" Link pressed.

"As the Priestess of Nayru, and keeper of Nayru's Mirror, I am sometimes subjected to visions of the river of time…" she mumbled sleepily.

"So, what, is it like the mirror's magic rubs off on you because you've been around it for so long?" Nina asked, semi-sarcastically.

Luna nodded, unable to read her sarcasm. "Yes, actually that's exactly how it works. My sisters and I have all gained abilities from the artifacts we keep."

Link shot Nina a glare, and she looked rightfully sheepish. He slid off of Epona, landing gently on the ground. "You're still weak. Ride in front of me, so I can hold onto you."

"Uh…hey I can hold onto her Link. Midnight's saddle is a little bigger than Epona's–"

"Thanks, Kalen. But I've got her. You guys can go on ahead, and I'll meet you there," Link interrupted, leaving no room for argument.

Kalen looked like he wanted to argue, but Nina jerked her head in the direction of Kakariko and set off, the redhead reluctantly following suit.

Luna slid forward in the saddle as Link climbed back up behind her. He gently wrapped his arms around her, letting her fall back into his chest as he set off again for their destination, commanding Epona into a light trot.

It was silent for a few moments between them; Luna enjoying the comfort and safety of Link's chest, Link enjoying the smell of her hair. The late afternoon sun in the cloudless sky beat down upon them, but a light breeze blew gently, creating a comforting atmosphere.

"You know…I've been wondering about those words you said to me when we first met…" Link began.

"About how you taste like a hero?"

"N-no…not that," a fierce blush came to his cheeks as he remembered her soft lips against his. He quickly shook away those thoughts. "I meant about you calling me the Hero of Time."

Luna turned to face him, a genuinely confused look on her face. "What's there to wonder? You _are_ the Hero of Time," she stated simply, as if explaining that water was wet to the touch.

"I…_was_ the Hero of Time. But how would you know about that? No one in Hyrule has any memory of what occurred when Ganondorf claimed the Triforce and took over Hyrule–"

"Liiink!" Luna interrupted in a sing-song voice, tweaking his nose. "You forgot who I am? My artifact, Nayru's Mirror, allows me to see _any_ object I wish and peer into its river of time. I saw _everything_ you did: awaken each sage after an arduous journey through perilous temples, rescue Princess Zelda from Ganondorf's evil clutches after she revealed that she was Sheik, defeat the evil king in glorious battle!" She clasped her hands together, peering back at him in admiration. "I've wanted to meet you my whole life!"

Her face twisted into one of sadness as she noted his surprised expression. "I understand your frustrations that the Hyrule you have returned to knows nothing of your sacrifices. But you have brought peace to the future and prevented disaster in the present. Even though they may not know it, you are a hero to everyone!"

Link smiled down at her, feeling as if a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. "Thanks, Luna…I really…really needed to hear that."

Luna returned his smile, then sighed, bringing her hand to her forehead again. "Oh my…Hyrule's magic must be spread so thin here…usually my sporadic visions only give me a headache, but here they knock the wind out of me…"

"Don't worry. If it happens again, I'll be here to protect you."

Luna turned back around, not wanting him to see her red cheeks. "I know you will…"

They arrived in Kakariko shortly after; taking the horses up the recently created sloped pathway carved into the mountain about twenty feet from the great stairway. Link had always wondered why such a thing had not existed for such a long time and had mentioned it in annoyance to Princess Zelda one day, offhandedly. The next day, plans had been made and construction had started on the pathway.

Kalen and Nina stood waiting at the entrance gateway to the Sheikah village, their horses already tethered, looking worried. Link hopped off of Epona, helped Luna down, then tethered his own beloved mare beside the other two horses. Luna gave them a reassuring smile and walked over to them.

"I'm alright now, so please don't worry."

The two seemed to breathe a breath of relief, though Nina didn't look totally convinced. "You should take it easy now. Don't wander off again like earlier. I don't wanna have to clobber you while you're weak and helpless," she said in her own strange way of showing compassion.

Luna giggled and gazed up at the village that spread before her. The pathway spread before them widened and was flanked by two hills that were lined with small cottages and shops. To the left, the pathway led up several large staircases to another gate similar to the entrance. In the distance, Death Mountain could be seen towering over the village, a peaceful cloud of smoke floating above its rim in the bright clear sky. Straight ahead was a large hill, where a giant windmill stood against the back of the town. On the pathway to the windmill was a seemingly innocuous well, framed by a wooden arch.

The town was peaceful and quiet, several carpenters were running around getting work done, villagers were passing each other by saying polite hellos, cuckoos clucked contently as they pecked randomly at the ground. The delicious aroma of food cooking wafted towards the group. Luna closed her eyes, inhaling deeply.

"Mmmm…something smells delicious," she mused. Her stomach growled on cue at this moment, and she turned pink with embarrassment. "Oh my…with all that has happened, I just realized that I haven't eaten all day!"

Link's tummy growled in reply. "Ha, yeah, me neither. Nina didn't give me a chance to eat this morning."

Kalen smirked. "I haven't eaten since this morning either." He pointed towards the highest house in the village to the right where smoke floated up from the chimney. "Anju is usually cooking around this time, maybe that's what we smell? Let's raid the house for some food!"

Luna frowned, following where he pointed to, wanting to chastise him for wanting to raid the house, when she noticed the smoke coming from the chimney. Her body went cold and she clutched the blue fabric of her tunic above her heart.

"Oh no…" she whispered.

Link stood in front of her, leaning down to look into her frozen face. "Luna? Is it another vision?" he asked worriedly, reaching out to touch her shoulders in case she collapsed again.

Without so much as another word, she suddenly shoved Link aside and dashed towards Impa's house, a wild look upon her face.

"Luna! What did I tell you about running off?" Nina called after her angrily. She nodded to the others and they took off after her.

The blue haired maiden reached the house surprisingly quickly, despite not knowing the exact path; the only thing driving her was a desperation to prevent disaster. She flung open the door, just as the others arrived, and flew inside.

"Reiya, nooo!" they heard her exclaim in a panic. Link's heart pounded as he dashed inside as well, expecting the worst.

Inside, a cheery fire roasted in the fireplace to the left of the doors. A pleasant aroma filled the spacious home from the pot that sat roasting on top of the oven surrounding the fire. Anju stood on the staircase, fear-stricken at the strange girl that had burst in. A woman with long red hair lay on the spare cot on the upper landing holding a bowl. She was covered in bandages. Her mouth hung open and a spoon dripped soup inches from her lips. She stared down at the spectacle in disbelief.

"Luna…?"

Luna ran up the stairs, pushing carelessly past the cuckoo lady and threw herself at the woman's side, sobbing hysterically.

"Oh, Reiya! I was so worried that you…that you-!"

The woman, identified as Reiya, calmly set down the bowl and crossed her arms over her chest. She closed her eyes and sighed in exasperation. "That I what?" her voice a husky melody.

Luna lifted her head, tears rimming her eyes. "That you set fire to this house!"

"Why the hell would you think I had done that?"

"B-because there was smoke coming from the ceiling!"

Reiya grabbed Luna by the head and smushed her face into the cot. "That was from the fireplace, you airhead!"

"What's going on?" Anju demanded, finally coming out of her stupor. She marched up to Luna, hands on her hips and a stern look on her face. "Do you know this woman? I've been taking care of her and I don't appreciate you barging in here and disturbing my patient!"

Luna looked ashamed, escaping from Reiya's grasp to sit up, and brought a nervous fist to her lips. "I-I'm sorry. I just acted without thinking. This is my sister, Reiya. I've been looking for her."

Anju lowered her hands from her hips, sighing. "I see. Well maybe with you here, she'll be a little less unruly."

Reiya grimaced, crossing her arms over her chest; an action that caused her to wince softly. "I told you that I don't need your help. I'll heal on my own!" she countered stubbornly.

Link and crew joined the rest of them up at the top of the stairs, apologizing briefly to Anju for barging in unannounced. There, they got a better look at the woman who was Luna's lost sister.

She was a very attractive woman, with curves that would make any man yearn for her, just barely covered by a red thigh length skirt that had twin slits on the sides that came up to her waist and a red low cut tank that exposed her flat belly. Her crimson hair hung down to the middle of her back. Her skin was tanned though not as dark as a Gerudo's. She glanced up them at this moment, revealing dark green eyes which scanned the group with suspicion.

"Wow! Luna wasn't kidding when she said you were the exact opposite of her!" Nina blurted out.

"Who are you?" were the only words that left her lips in reply.

"Reiya! Don't be rude! These are the people that helped me find you! Ms. Nina especially nursed me back to health," Luna answered, gesturing to the brunette who had spoken up. Nina turned a little pink when the brusque woman's intent gaze penetrated her.

Her sharp gaze abruptly shifted to her sister when she felt the younger priestess tracing the gauze on her arm. Luna looked up to meet her eyes and they exchanged a brief expression of sorrow.

"Let me heal you…" Luna said quietly, lifting her hands. A soft blue glow outlined her fingers and a swirl of energy surged towards the tanned priestess, surrounding and bathing her in a warm glow. Reiya closed her eyes as the healing magic took its effect, closing up cuts, easing muscle strain and fatigue, and patching up bruises. As soon as the spell had done its thing, Reiya began peeling off the offending bandages, revealing immaculate, unscarred skin.

"Whoa! That's some major healing magic! I've never seen it work so fast or efficiently before!" Kalen exclaimed in fascination. Link too was surprised at Luna's prowess, having only seen such effective healing done by the Great Fairies themselves.

"Yes, that's the power of a goddess priestess for you," Reiya said with contempt, dropping the last of the bandages in between her feet at the foot of the cot. "Which is why I told you I didn't need your help." Her intense green gaze hit Anju from behind the group, who didn't flinch.

Before Anju could protest, Link stepped in, placing a placating hand on her shoulder. "Thank you for taking care of her, Ms. Anju. If you don't mind, we'd like to talk to her…alone."

Distracted, Anju looked up into Link's face, remembering when he had helped her out in the past, and smiled. "Ah, alright. I guess I'll just go…gather up my cuckoos then." She looked like she wanted to sneeze just thinking about it. She headed down the stairs, and at the sound of the door closing shut, Link turned back to the previously injured priestess.

"Not that I really care, but you never answered my question. Who are you?" Reiya said, crossing her arms over her chest, looking just slightly less tense now that Anju was out of the room.

"I'm Link," answered the young hero. He gestured to Kalen and Nina. "These are my friends Kalen and Nina. Nina and I met Luna behind my home, injured. We agreed to help her find you and her lost mirror."

Reiya raised an eyebrow, then rubbed her forehead, sighing. "So you've lost your artifact too…" she muttered.

"Too?" Luna repeated, a twinge of panic in her voice. "You've lost Din's Orb? This is bad…"

"What's Din's Orb?" Link inquired, as he, Kalen, and Nina all sat down.

"It's my artifact. I was separated from it when Nassira sent Luna and me here. I was hoping Luna had managed to hold onto her artifact, but I see I was hoping for too much…" Reiya replied, not really answering his question.

Luna pouted. "I was way worse off than you were! I was hoping _you_ had held onto your artifact!"

"Is it…truly bad that you have lost your artifacts?" Link pressed.

Reiya, for the first time, really looked at Link. Under her piercing gaze, Link's face grew warm and he fidgeted. Something seemed to click in her mind, and her face formed a small devious smile. She flicked her hair over her shoulder, flirtatiously. "Oh I dunno. Depends on whether or not you're worried if someone could get their hands on an item that could level mountains and dry up rivers just by will alone," she answered nonchalantly.

"What!" Nina and Kalen exclaimed in aghast. Luna frowned disapprovingly at her sister.

"Reiya, this is serious! Why are you making light of the situation?" she chastised.

The redhead priestess pointed a manicured finger at the blond hero, who tensed up. "Because through sheer dumb luck, you have managed to recruit _the_ hero to help. I'm not really worried about the fate of Hyrule. It's quite capable in his strong, manly hands," she replied, winking at Link and licking her lips seductively.

While Link turned crimson with shock, Nina growled. "I would think goddess _priestesses_ ought to be chaste and untainted!" she snapped.

Reiya shot a glance her way, smirking. "Oh? How is living a chaste life working out for _you_, honey?" she countered, laughing when Nina turned just as red as Link.

Luna was about to chastise her again, embarrassed by her sister's behavior, when the older priestess stood from the cot and stretched her arms high above her head, revealing long slender legs.

"Thanks for the heal little sis. I'm going to head out to find my artifact now," she said simply, petting Luna as if she was a puppy and stepping past the others to walk to the staircase, each stride revealing the tan, muscled, flesh of her thighs.

"Alone?" Luna protested, scrambling to her feet and following the redhead down the stairs. The older sister pulled her hair back into a high ponytail as she headed for the door, finally stopping when Luna grabbed her by the arm and gave her a desperate look.

"You should come with us Reiya! We…we only just became reunited…"

Reiya sighed, grasping her sister by the cheeks and brought their foreheads together. "Yes…I know. But I have to find my orb, just like you must find your mirror. It'll be faster if we split up."

"But-!"

"I'll be _fine_ on my own. You know very well I can take care of myself," Reiya interrupted firmly. She released her sister, and winked up at Link one more time. "I trust that you're in well capable hands as well." She turned again to go.

"I-I know where my mirror is! I had a vision!" Luna blurted out.

Reiya twisted her upper torso to look at her sister. "Good. Then you ought to hurry up and fetch it. I can sense that my own is somewhere in this area, so I'm going to investigate. Don't let me down now!" With a simple wave over her shoulder, Reiya walked out the door, letting it slam shut behind her.

The sharp sound of the door shutting released Nina from her mortified state, and she slammed her hand on the floor, startling Link and Kalen.

"Well I never! I was totally wrong! I don't like her at all! That rude, promiscuous, loose _hag_!" Nina cried out.

Link grimaced, chancing a glance down at Luna, who was motionless on the first floor, still staring at the door. "Nina! That's Luna's sister! She may not have been…nice, but you should still show some respect, at least when Luna _can still hear you_!"

Nina whirled on him. "I don't care whose sister she is! And what was that? With her licking her lips at you like you were some plate of baked cuckoo!"

Kalen grinned, trying to make light of the situation. "Aw don't sweat it Nina. It was probably just the Link Factor at work again."

"No," came Luna's reply suddenly. They looked down to see her still facing the door, an air of despondency in her voice. "She's like that with all men."

Link shook his head, getting up to meet Luna on the bottom floor to escape Nina's wrath. He placed a tentative hand on the young maiden's shoulder. "I'm…sorry Luna."

Luna lifted her own hand to place it on top of Link's on her shoulder. She turned her head to give him a small forced smile. "It's alright. My worries have been eased knowing that she is safe. She's right. We need to get going."

Link squeezed her shoulder. "Alright." He turned to Nina and Kalen, who were still arguing up on the landing. "Come on guys. We need to set out for Lake Hylia."

Nina looked up from stretching Kalen's face. "If we're setting out for Lake Hylia, I suggest we go back home and get some supplies," she said, releasing Kalen.

Link nodded. "You're right. Then after you guys prepare, let's meet up in front of the castle town drawbridge."

Nina stood to her feet, leaning forward to glare down at him from the landing. "You'd better not leave us behind either!"

Link grimaced.. "I-I wouldn't do that!"

"You did it before! We're helping out, and that's final!"

"Alright, alright!"

Link scratched the back of his head, cringing at the fiery aura that seemed to burn around his childhood friend's form. She was all fired up because of Reiya, he could tell. It was all well in good though; she was now more determined than ever to help. He turned to Luna and nodded.

"We'll find that mirror, Luna. It's a promise."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

The chapters have steadily been getting longer. No promise on if that will continue to be the trend. I was honestly tempted to split this chapter up, but decided not to since I figured I could wrap it up.

I'm sure it turns off a lot of people when they read a fic that is OC heavy; I realized that about midway through one of my chapters. I plan to make it focus more on Link once the "adventure" really starts rolling since Link is the true adventurer and Kalen and Nina are not nearly as experienced as he.

I hope Luna doesn't have the appearance of a Mary-Sue. That was not my intention at all. She's an innocent young girl who was cut off from society not only because she lived on an isolated island (which does have other people) but because she was rigidly focused on her duties as a priestess. Her social awkwardness is a result. I just hope you enjoy her obliviousness as much as I like writing it.

-LunaRyuu


	6. Chapter 6: Setting out for Lake Hylia

Chapter 6: Setting out for Lake Hylia

"What's this mask?"

Link looked up from packing his travel bag, to glance over at Luna who was staring at his wall display of masks. "Um, which one?"

Luna pointed at a silver haired mask with red and blue markings on the face and a light blue hat. "It kinda looks like you."

The hero smirked, walking over and lifting the mask off of its hook on the wall. "It's called the Fierce Diety's Mask. It helped me out when I traveled to Termina…" he trailed off, as a sudden realization came to him. "Wait, why don't you know about it? I thought you were watching my travels through the mirror?"

Luna gave him a semi-horrified look. "Do you think I'm some kind of _stalker_ or something? I don't watch your every move!"

Link grimaced, returning the mask to its spot on the wall below the Zora Mask. His hand brushed the Stone Mask, catching Luna's attention. She immediately reached for it, snatching it off of its peg.

"Aww! What is this? It's so depressingly cute!"

Link grinned, memories flooding to his mind as he thought about the tasks that he had been required to perform to acquire each mask, and the adventures that ensued. "It's called the Stone Mask. It allows the wearer to become invisible…to most."

Luna looked up at him with disbelieving eyes. "No way! That's just silly! How could this mask make you invisible? I barely sense any magic in it!" As if to prove her point, she plunged her face into the mask, promptly vanishing before Link's eyes, and placed her hands on her hips.

"See? I'm still here!" She lifted her arms and legs, flexing her fingers in front of her face. "I can still see myself!"

Link's eyes, of course, didn't follow her movements, and he stared blankly at the spot between the Goron's Mask and the Mask of Truth, where her head been before. He placed a hand on his hip. "Ok, move around and I'll let you know if I see you." He heard the rustling of fabric and blinked when the masks on the wall waved gently back and forth.

"…Are you moving?"

"Of course I am! Stop playing dumb!"

The masks stopped waving on the wall, which Link took as a sign that she had stopped whatever random movements she had chosen to do. He reached blindly forward until his fingers collided with the cold stone of the mask. Using plenty of guesswork, he hitched his fingers around the edges, earning a squeak from Luna when his fingers brushed against her cheeks, and removed the mask, Luna returning to his sight instantly.

"Was that fun?" he asked snidely, a silly grin on his face.

"No! Nothing happened," Luna replied with a pout, her hands on her hips. She took the mask from him and turned to set it back on its peg.

"Wait."

Luna stopped mid-motion as Link took the mask from her and set it on his growing pile of items for the trip on the dining table. "Let's bring it just in case. It could be very useful."

"I don't see how, but ok…" Luna said unconvinced.

About a half hour later, which Luna spent going through all of Link's various items from his previous quests and asking questions about every single one, Link had finished packing all of his belongings. He hitched the Gilded Sword's sheath strap over his shoulder and attached the Mirror Shield behind it. "Alright, I'm ready," he said with a satisfied sigh, turning to face Luna, who looked him over with curious eyes.

"Why are you wearing the Goron tunic?"

Link glanced down at his crimson attire. "Well these clothes protect me from flames. Never know if someone might set me on fire or something…besides it looks better with the Mirror Shield."

Luna smiled brightly, nodding in agreement. "It does!"

He turned a little pink at her frankness. "Are you ready to go?" He received another enthusiastic nod in reply. "Alright. Hopefully Nina and Kalen are ready and waiting for us at the meeting place."

Luna cocked her head to the side, a sudden thought occurring to her. "Do Kalen and Nina fight too?"

Link grinned, heading out the door with the young priestess following behind. "Yep! I've given them some battle tips over the years, so they can hold their own in a battle pretty well."

"What does Nina use?"

"A whip," Link replied, shutting the back door behind her.

Luna visibly paled. "I…I can imagine…"

They arrived shortly after at the meeting place, where Kalen and Nina were already waiting. Nina placed her hands on her hips, her mouth a thin line, as Epona slowed to a stop before Starfire and Midnight.

"You guys took an awfully long time to get ready," were the first words out of her mouth.

Link gave her a blank stare, dreading, out of the corner of his eye, when Kalen looked about to speak as well.

"Yeah, what were _you_ two doing?" he added jeeringly.

Luna, having forgotten the terror of horseback riding, popped out from behind Link's back. "I was looking through all of Link's items! It's amazing all the things he has acquired through his quests!" she exclaimed, breathless and excited.

Nina raised an eyebrow, and Link scoffed under his breath, knowing exactly what she was thinking. Though they had been friends since his childhood, it wasn't for a few years till Nina and Kalen had actually entered his home. And though he had a story for every weapon, every piece of equipment, every item, Nina was still convinced he had simply bought them all. Sometimes he wondered why Nina was even friends with him…since it was clear she thought he was a delusional liar. He supposed it helped that he didn't bring up his quests very often, preferring to let the two of them do most of the talking.

"Well are you guys prepared? You didn't forget anything?" Link asked quickly, to get things rolling.

Nina hadn't changed her clothing from earlier, which consisted of a green V-neck blouse tucked into brown slacks and simple brown boots. Attached at her hip was an equipment belt where several large bomb bags hung at her waist. A rolled up whip hung menacingly from her left hip. She wore what appeared to be a metal ring upon the tips of her index and middle finger, which glinted in the late afternoon light.

Kalen's clothing also did not change, consisting of a reddish brown tunic, brown undershirt and pants, and black boots. The strap of a sword sheath hung around his front; the hilt of his short sword sticking out behind his right shoulder. His left hand was adorned with a small round brown buckler, beneath which was a strange metal contraption that the buckler was attached to.

"We sure didn't!" Kalen said, bringing up the buckler-adorned hand in a fist. "We're ready to start this adventure!"

Link smiled at his enthusiasm, then glanced up at the waning light of the sun slowly setting in the west. "We maaay not make it to Lake Hylia till late tonight, but don't lose that fire!"

Nina hopped up onto Starfire, suddenly impatient. "Let's get going then. I don't wanna camp out in the middle of Hyrule Field again."

Kalen also hopped onto his black steed, Midnight, laughing. "Yes, we all know the peahats just loooove you!"

Nina cringed. "Ugh don't say that! They'll hear you!"

"What's a peahat?" Luna asked.

"A pretty annoying monster that flies around in Hyrule Field. Don't worry. I can take them out with my arrows before they get close," Link reassured. He glanced around at his companions, who looked back at him expectantly.

"Alright, to Lake Hylia!"

* * *

><p>Reiya hoisted herself up over the edge of the cliff and collapsed briefly on the dusty mountain ground. "Ugh, what a climb," she murmured to herself, glancing behind her. She momentarily had a terrible sense of dizziness as she stared down at the ground far, far below, thinking if she slipped back just a few inches her body would tumble down, bones cracking under the force of impact, continuing to tumble until she slammed inevitably into the ground.<p>

The sound of stones crackling to the ground jolted the priestess out of her morbid thoughts. She jerked her head this way and that, trying to identify the source of the sound. The feeling of suddenly being watched pervaded her, made her heart skip a beat, the hair on every exposed sheet of skin on her body stand on edge. She flipped gracefully to her feet, her hand briefly engulfed in a white light before a metal rod materialized. Her eyes darted back and forth, searching for any signs of motion or life, all the while the feeling of being watched sunk deeper and deeper into her skin. The priestess cursed under her breath, then darted into the mouth of Death Mountain.

Inside, she thoroughly regretted running in, as the instant she set foot inside the mountain crater, her body was soaked in perspiration. It dripped out of her pores, saturating her clothing. Any droplets that managed to escape her body evaporated before even reaching the ground. Reiya stumbled forward, clutching the wall and dropping her weapon, her knees buckling underneath her. Her throat was dry, her eyes were pained from the lack of moisture. If it weren't for her clothes being soaked in her own sweat, they would have spontaneously combusted.

She could feel her consciousness slipping irritatingly away. Abruptly, she tripped over uneven ground and fell gracelessly to the floor. Before the last of her awareness slithered from her body, she felt the sharp surge of power, the sensation of something familiar. She reached futilely forward, her hand scraping at the dirt ground.

"Din's Orb…" were the last words to leave her chapped lips before she left the world of consciousness.

()()()()()()()()()()()

Reiya's eyes flew open and she jerked out of bed, breathing heavily, her eyes wide and wild. She looked all around her, noting the small cave-like room she was in, and the two bewildered mountain people known as the Gorons that watched her from across her bed.

"Goro! Good to see you up!" one of them replied, relaxing now from her sudden awakening. He walked over to a small table and picked up a tray that had a glass filled to the brim with water and a measly piece of bread.

Reiya snatched the glass off the tray and drank from it voraciously. She was vastly irritated, her head pounded mercilessly and her muscles felt jittery and weak. The glass was downed in mere seconds, but it wasn't enough. She glared expectantly at the Goron, slamming the glass back down on his tray. "More!" she demanded. The Goron hurriedly grabbed her another glass and she swallowed it down just as fast as the first.

Three more glasses later, and Reiya was finally satisfied, sitting up in bed, panting. She lifted a strand of her still moist hair and sniffed it, wrinkling her nose at the sweaty smell. "I need a bath," she said pointedly, glaring down the helpful mountain dweller.

"Of course!" he replied, nodding to the other Goron. "Go let Big Brother know she's awake now," he said to his companion. Once the other Goron left, Reiya's caretaker set up about fixing up a bath.

Reiya scrubbed herself down thoroughly, washing away all the dirt and grime from trekking up Death Mountain. She didn't act like it, but she hated being dirty. The priestess dunked her head into the water to rinse the shampoo out of her hair, submerging moments later. She washed her clothes simultaneously, and dried them off with a quick heat spell.

She was drying off her hair, fully dressed, when the Goron from before returned. "Our leader wants to see you."

Reiya's face scrunched into an expression of displeasure and she was about to shoo him away, when a thought occurred to her. "Ok," she replied simply, and he lead the way.

In the very bottom of Goron City, her Goron caretaker lead her down a tunnel and into the very center of the city where a large pot the size of a building sat shaped like a Goron holding a container above his head. Reiya walked by it, eyeing it curiously, wondering what could be inside of it, when her caretaker stopped abruptly and turned around to face her.

"Goro…this is our leader Darunia's room. Please be respectful to him."

Reiya rolled her eyes and marched right in past him, much to his protest. Inside, she continued her march and stopped smartly in front of the Goron chief Darunia. She placed her hands on her hips. "You rang?" she said sarcastically.

The big Goron chief raised a dark eyebrow, but let it slide. "Ah good to see you're alive and well now! I am Darunia, big boss of the Goron people. When Biggoron brought you in, your body was as limp as a doll!"

"Biggoron…?"

"Now let's get down to business. I take it you were looking for something in Death Mountain?"

Reiya looked taken aback, but nodded. "Yes…a magical artifact. It's imperative that I recover it."

Darunia brought a colossal muscled fist to his chin, and closed his amethyst eyes in thought. "Hmm…yes, I thought that might be the case. You see, a few days ago I sensed a strong magical current in the air around Death Mountain, so I went to investigate. I couldn't find the exact source, but something's popped up in there that had me a little worried."

He looked her up and down for a moment. "Are you the owner of the artifact? I don't want every person and their brother coming up here to try and claim it for themselves."

Reiya rolled her eyes. "Yes. If you must know, the artifact is called Din's Orb. It is a celestial item directly from the goddess Din herself. I am, Reiya, the goddess priestess designated to protect it."

Darunia raised an eyebrow again. "Goddess priestess? Ah…then you are from Exlandia."

Reiya raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest. "You know of it?"

"Ah yes, being the leader of a race of people, you tend to get inside information like that."

The redheaded priestess pursed her lips in annoyance at his derision, then momentarily had a thought. Just how much did he know? And…did he have any memory of being a Sage?

He looked down at her, noting her sparse clothing. "You're not exactly…_outfitted_ to be nosing around in a volcano…" he said, breaking her thoughts. "In order to withstand the heat in Death Mountain, you would need a Goron tunic, which we ordinarily sell in the shops-" Reiya turned on her heel and was half way out of the room.

"But we no longer have any and the seamstress who normally makes them has set off on a journey to learn about new fabrics," he finished.

Reiya whirled on him, giving him a murderous look. "Are you kidding me? What am I supposed to do then?"

"Now now," he held his hands up placatingly. "As you are a priestess, I do wish to help you out. I have heard of a substance, that when refined has the same properties as the Goron tunic."

Reiya crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot impatiently. "Alright, what is it called and where is it?" she demanded.

"I'm…afraid that's all I know about it. The Goron tunics are normally made out of Dodongo scales and bomb fibers, which are easily acquired. However, our only seamstress who knows how to make them is not present, and won't be for some time. That is the method that I am most familiar with. Princess Zelda of Hyrule might be able to tell you more. She is a formidable sorceress and is skilled with enchantments. She also has the Hyrulean library at her disposal. She more than likely will be able to tell you more than I can."

Reiya sighed. "This is going to turn into a fetch quest isn't it…" she muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Thanks…for the info. I'll be back," the priestess replied, walking out the door, waving a hand over her shoulder.

Darunia heaved a sigh as she left. Ordinarily, he would have been greatly angered by anyone speaking to him in such an informal, insolent manner, however, from the moment he felt the strange surge of power fall over Death Mountain, he had been expecting a visitor.

* * *

><p>Link glanced up at the slowly setting sun casting oranges and reds across Hyrule Field. They were about three quarters of the way to Lake Hylia and it was almost night time. He glanced back at his companions a little ways behind them. "We're almost there guys! Keep up the pace!"<p>

"Hey, don't tell us we're going too slow! Epona is the fastest horse in Hyrule, or did you forget?" Nina called back to him in annoyance.

Link scratched the back of his head. "I wasn't calling you slow…" His words were lost in the wind, not that it mattered what he said to Nina anyway. They were passing by Lon Lon Ranch's southwestern side, and Link suddenly remembered Talon's request. He made a mental note to visit Malon on the way back.

"Watch out!" Nina shrieked, pulling Link abruptly from his thoughts as a white blur streaked in between the triangle formation the three horses had formed.

Luna's arms around Link's waist tightened, and the hero could feel her heart beating rapidly. He steered Epona out of the way just as the blur raced past him again. Without really needing to think about it, he whipped out his bow and fired a shot, striking the creature dead. It all happened so fast, that Nina and Kalen weren't really sure what had happened. They all came to a stop to examine the spoils.

"Its…its…"

"There's your Wolfos, Nina," Link finished for her, giving her a grim look. Her eyes widened and she held a hand to her mouth, looking guiltily at Luna, who looked confused and frightened at the corpse of the large white wolf-like beast.

"Th-that's a Wolfos?" she said quietly.

"Yeah…this is a White Wolfos though…they usually are only found in cold climates. And I've never even seen a Wolfos in Hyrule Field before either…"

"What do you think it means, Link?" Kalen asked, attempting to hide his gagging, and was greatly pleased when its body faded into blue smoke.

"I'm not sure…it's a little disconcerting to see it here," the young blond looked up into the sky, feeling the light wind caress his face. "Usually when strange monsters pop up, it's a sign of a strong, dark presence. We might be seeing more of these as a result." He turned to his companions, who held equally grim faces as his own. "We'll need to be careful from here on out." With that warning lingering in the air, the group set off again, reaching Lake Hylia midevening.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

A/N: Decided to end the chapter there since I haven't put anything out in awhile. Read and review please. ^_^

-LunaRyuu


	7. Chapter 7: The Doorway

Chapter 7: The Doorway

"Luna?"

A squeeze of his elbow was his answer.

"You can look up now. We're here."

Luna pulled her face from its place buried in Link's back and looked up. Her eyes widened and her face split into an expression of wonder. Lake Hylia was a beautiful sight at night. The clear starry sky reflected infinitely in the crisp clean waters of the lake. The sound of a small waterfall and the breeze blowing through the tall grass created a soothing atmosphere.

They all came to a stop, near the semi-ruined stone pillars connecting the lake to Zora's Domain. Link swung down from Epona and reached up a hand to help Luna down. She hopped down excitedly, immediately running off to the edge of the water, much to Nina's protest. The three friends got to work wiping down their horses to cool them down, then led them to the water for a drink. When the horses were fed and satisfied, they were tethered and setting up camp began.

Link glanced up from hammering down a post to look around for Luna, suddenly worried as he hadn't heard from her in some time. He saw her standing shoeless in the shallow water on top of the Zora structure, staring off into the beautiful lake. Her hair, pulled up into a now loose ponytail, swung majestically in the cool night wind. He smirked and set down his hammer, and stretched his arms over his head.

"Hey, can you guys take care of this? I'm gonna go talk to Luna," Link said.

"What? You're leaving us with all the work?" Nina said, exasperated.

"You guys are much better at it than me anyway!" he replied, a hand on the back of his head.

"That's cuz you always walk off and get into some kind of trouble while _we're_ doing it!" the brunette snapped in reply.

Link grinned sheepishly, recalling the last few times he had camped out with the two of them and realized she was absolutely right. He turned and started to head over to Luna. "Well, you two can get some quality bonding time while I'm gone then."

Kalen returned at this moment with an armful of sticks to start a fire. He looked around confused for a moment. "Where's Link?"

Nina sighed and rolled his eyes. "Getting cozy with Luna I guess. He left us with all the work, _again_. He wants _us_ to get some bonding time."

Kalen dumped his catch on the ground and grinned, starting to make a pit for the fire. "Ha! That sly dog!"

Nina held up her fist threateningly. "At this rate you're definitely gonna get some bonding time with my fist!"

Luna stood barefoot in the shallow waters, her eyes closed as she listened to the nature sounds all around her. She opened them at the sound of sloshing water and turned to see Link standing beside her, barefoot as well with his pants legs rolled up to not get wet.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he said, giving her a light smile.

She nodded enthusiastically, smiling as well. "Yes, very. Hyrule has been a very beautiful place so far."

Link took in a deep breath and let it out, looking up into the bright starry sky. "Yes. And I intend to keep it that way."

Luna clasped her hands together in front of her. She glanced up at Link, as if about to say something, when something caught her eye. She jerked her head suddenly in the direction of the far southern corner of the lake.

"Link!" she exclaimed suddenly, grabbing hold of the fabric of his sleeve. "Link there's something glowing over in that corner!"

Link looked to where she was pointing. "You're right. That's…weird. Shall we go check it out?"

Luna nodded with fervor and she began sloshing out of the water to put her boots back on. Link sprinted after the lithe blue haired maiden and waved to his companions who were almost finishing setting up the tents.

"Hey! There's something over there we're gonna check out! We'll be back!" he called to them.

From his position, around fifty feet away, he could see Nina's expression of suspicion and discontent. He didn't give her a chance to ask since Luna was already waiting for him beside the lone building on the lake mainland. He rushed over to meet her.

Luna stared curiously up at the large building then turned to Link when he reached her side. "Someone lives here at the lake?" she asked.

"Oh it's the lake laboratory. The scientist here makes medicines using the lake's waters," Link replied offhandedly, walking past her and taking the first step onto the bridge. Luna reached for the handle to the door.

"Don't touch that!" She snatched her hand away abruptly, turning to Link with wide, startled eyes.

"Uh…sorry. Anyway, it's night time. You shouldn't disturb him." She reluctantly walked away from the door and took a cautious step onto the bridge beside the blond. "Besides…he's kinda creepy anyway…" Link muttered.

They made their way across the bridge, past the lone island with the gravestone, which Luna insisted on stopping and praying at, and finally made it to the island with the enormous leafless tree.

Luna placed a hand on the tree, her eyes lowered in sadness. Link walked past her to the edge of the island. "This tree…it's so sad…" she said softly, catching Link's attention. He raised an eyebrow and stood beside her, looking up at the giant tree.

"Why do you say that?"

"It's so large, but it doesn't have a single leaf growing from it. It must have died long ago."

Link shrugged. "Yeah I guess. I don't remember ever seeing any leaves on this tree."

The priestess pulled reluctantly away from the tree and the two of them walked to the edge of the island. She gasped, holding her hands over her mouth at the sight before her.

"What? What is it?" Link demanded, suddenly on edge.

"This…this is a portal to Exlandia…"

Before them, on the normally empty, lone island in the southern most corner of Lake Hylia, a doorway was erected between the two stone pillars that flanked the island's surface. Its expanse spread from one pillar to the other and it glowed with a soft mysterious light.

"What would it be doing here?" Link wondered out loud. He suddenly had a thought. "Did you or your sister come through here?"

Luna shook her head. "No…My sister Nassira used teleportation magic to transport us here. We did not use a portal at all. The portals themselves are active only once every 100 years and stay so for a month. In fact, it's a little strange that this is here. The last portal opened when I was just a small child. Reiya and Nassira were able to go through it and experience Hyrule, but I was too young, so my mother did not allow me to go. There's no way that another portal could have opened again…"

Link folded his arms behind his head. "But we certainly can't deny that it's right in front of us," he pointed out.

Luna nodded in agreement. "If I could get closer then I could examine it further…" She glanced down into the deep lake waters and bit her lip.

"Would you go home if it was active?"

Link's sudden words cut into her thoughts and she looked up at him in surprise. "No…I couldn't. My artifact is here. As a priestess, it is my duty to protect that artifact. I must go where it goes."

"What if you found the mirror right now? Would you go back now?"

"Exlandia…is enslaved by evil right now. Nassira sent Reiya and I here for our safety. Her precautions would have been for naught if I were to go back now. I'm sure she's barely handling the situation up there…"

She grasped Link's hand in her own tiny ones, looking up into his face. "That's why we need you. As the hero, you're the only one that can save us!"

Link reddened as he felt her soft warm hands against his own. "I-I'll do my best," he replied awkwardly. Luna gave him a warm, content smile, as if his words alone had rescued her from harm. He stole a quick glance back over at their camp and noticed that Nina was facing them. He wasn't entirely sure how much she could see from this distance away, but he wasn't going to take any chances.

"I don't know how good Nina's eyes are, but I think it's a good idea if you stop holding my hand. I don't doubt that Nina will run over here just to clobber you…"

Luna jerked her hands away, fearfully glancing in the direction of the camp as well. "Ack! You're right!"

The blond hero chuckled then scratched the back of his head thoughtfully. "If I had brought my ice arrows with me, I could have made some stepping stones so we wouldn't have to get in the water…"

"I guess we'll just have to swim then," Luna said matter-of-factly. Link sighed, realizing that that was indeed their only choice.

"Can you swim?"

Luna gave him an incredulous look. "Of course I can! I'm a very good swimmer!"

Link held his hands up placatingly. "Ok! Ok! I was just asking!"

Luna put her hands on her hips. "I live on an island, you know!"

Link gave her a funny look. "It's…a floating island…" She didn't seem to have heard him though since she had returned her gaze to the glowing doorway before them.

Luna turned at the sound of something hitting the ground, and stared with unobstructed wonder at the sight of Link standing there topless, the moonlight glinting off of his well chiseled chest.

"Why are you undressing?"

"I'd like to get as little clothing wet as possible," he replied, stretching his arms. He hadn't gone for a swim for a long time. He wasn't exactly looking forward to this however, as he knew the lake waters were going to be cold, and the now cool breeze would feel like ice against his wet skin.

"Ah, good idea." Luna began unbuttoning her own tunic.

"Noo!" Link exclaimed, nearly lunging at her to stop.

"What?"

"Don't take off your top!"

"But I don't want to get my clothes wet either!"

"It would be _highly_ inappropriate if you took off your top…in front of me."

Luna put her hands on her hips. "So what can I take off then?"

Link blushed at her choice of words, and scratched the back of his head furiously. "Uhhh…j-just take off your leggings…"

Luna pouted in annoyance and disappointment as she reached her hands underneath her tunic, at which point Link abruptly whirled around so his back faced her, and slid off her black leggings. She let them fall to the ground near Link's own tunic. "Alright."

Link chanced a glance back at her, and noted in embarrassment that the hem of her tunic skirt rested against her upper thigh; of course the wind would have none of that, constantly jostling it even higher.

Luna took the initiative, much to Link's surprise, diving elegantly into the dark lake waters. He was close behind her. The moment he broke through the surface, the cold rush of the water consumed him. It was dark but clear enough to see the bottom of the lake. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye, and watched as Luna swam deftly like a fish to the small island. He followed after, trying his best not to look up her skirt. They both surfaced near the edge of the island. Link gasped for air and hefted himself up and over the edge. He reached back for Luna's hand, which she graciously took, and he easily pulled her up. They stood there, shivering in the wind, finally close enough to see the doorway.

Luna pushed a saturated strand of hair behind her elongated ear and approached the door tentatively. She raised a hand and traced the Triforce portion of the large Hyrulean crest that adorned the center of the white stone doors. Above and to the right and left of the crest were large circular indentations, as if the door was missing vital pieces.

"I…I had read in a book before that it was possible to create doorways that would connect Exlandia to Hyrule. However, you would need some item to activate them. This one is indeed inactive."

Link rubbed his wet arms, standing beside her, and jerked his chin in the direction of the door. "You think that's what those holes are for?"

Luna nodded slowly. "Possibly…I've honestly never been this close to a portal before. I've only really seen them in books in this much detail. Perhaps…" she trailed off, which made Link glance over at her, noting how her tunic conformed to every inch of her body.

"What?" he asked, quickly averting his eyes.

"Well this is just my…thoughts, but what if the artifacts are required to open the door?"

"Your goddess artifacts? Why would there be 3 holes then? I thought your oldest sister stayed behind?"

Luna looked down frowning. "You're right…but I honestly have no idea if she is still in possession of her artifact or not." She turned to Link, determination suddenly burning in her eyes. "We'll be able to find out when I get my mirror back."

"Ah right, you can see any object you desire, right?"

Luna nodded, pleased that he had remembered. "Yes. And the connection between artifacts is especially strong. My sisters and I have done test runs before, you know in case somehow we lost track of one of the artifacts, and they not only react to each other when in proximity, but my mirror is especially accurate in tracking the others down."

Link grinned, shivering violently as a sudden strong breeze blew by. "Great. It's a good thing we're searching for your mirror first then." He turned around, gazing across the entire lake, as this island was an optimum vantage point. He scratched the back of his wet head.

"I wonder where it could be…?" Luna voiced his thoughts.

Link shrugged, and shivered again. "We'll just search the whole place in the morning when we can see clearly. For now, let's head back to camp, before we catch something."

"Catch what? Some fish?" Luna asked, bewildered.

Link gave her a funny look. "N-no….a cold or some kind of illness."

"Oh…"

Link dove into the water and surfaced, turning to make sure she was coming along. He watched her stare at the doorway for a moment longer before following suit, her head appearing over the surface of the water a few feet away from him. They swam back to the large tree's island and ran back across the bridges, giggling and shivering.

When they reached the camp, Nina and Kalen had set up a fire and were frying some fish. Nina glared at them as they came up. "Are you guys crazy? I'm sure that water is freezing!" She immediately dragged Luna into the girl's tent, and they emerged moments later with Luna wearing a simple brown tunic with leggings and Nina holding Luna's sopping wet blue tunic in her hands. The brunette eyed Link with his skin tight wet pants, calculating something in her head.

Link reddened under her gaze. "Uh I'll change too," he said, hurrying into the guy's tent and emerging in his Kokiri tunic and another set of slacks. Nina took his wet clothes, set up a new fire and hung the clothing over it to dry.

"So," Kalen began, when Luna and Link sat down by the fire. He shoved a skewered fish into Link's hands. "How did you two enjoy your swim?" he said snidely.

Link rolled his eyes. "We weren't swimming for fun-"

"It was nice!" Luna piped up, interrupting him. "The water was very cold, but I enjoy any opportunity to swim!" She happily munched on her own fish.

Kalen nudged Link with his elbow and waggled his eyebrows. Link shoved him back, annoyed.

Nina sat down with a sigh and picked up her fish, taking a big bite out of it. "You better enjoy that fish. We had some trouble catching it," she grumbled.

Link grinned. "Well, the harder it is to catch, the more delicious it tastes!" he said, hungrily taking a large bite.

Nina blushed profusely in response, much to Link's confusion. "Wh-whatever! What were you guys doing over there anyway? What was that glowing thing?" she snapped, flustered.

Link and Kalen exchanged confused glances, so Luna decided to speak up. "It looks like it's a portal to Exlandia. We have no idea how it popped up there, or who created it, but there's nothing we can do about it, because it's inactive now."

"Inactive?" Nina repeated.

Luna nodded. "Yes. Normally, a portal to Exlandia appears somewhere in Hyrule, once every 100 years and is active, as in capable of being used, for the length of a month. I had read in a book before that it is also possible to create portals, through some complicated, elaborate spell, and you would need some sort of 'key' item to use it. The creator of the portal is the one who designates what the key item or items are and it must always be in their possession if they wish to use the door. You'll get stuck on either side if you do not have it."

"Sooo…you're saying someone made this portal, and is here in Hyrule with the key item to open it?" Kalen asked.

Luna blinked, bringing a hand to her chin. "I…I didn't think of it that way. I didn't consider that the creator of the portal might be here…"

"Well why wouldn't they be? I doubt anyone here could have opened it, aside from maybe Princess Zelda…maybe. I think it's more likely that someone from your side came over here."

"That's probably the smartest thing you've ever said," Nina said, chuckling, gaining dark looks from her redheaded friend.

"You're right Kalen," Luna said, giving him a brilliant smile that made him turn the color of his hair. "It does make sense that someone from my side has come here. Although…that makes me a little wary…"

"Why?" Link asked.

"Well…my family and I are generally the only ones with a high capacity for magic. Meaning, if someone did make a portal, it would have been one of us, most likely."

Link brought a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "So…maybe your eldest sister did come here too?"

Luna shook her head, tiny droplets flying from her still drying hair. "No…my sister stayed behind to protect the island and the people that remained. There's no way she would have come."

"So if it wasn't one of your sisters, then who did it? What other family do you have?" Kalen pressed.

Luna frowned, gripping the stick that had held her already eaten fish tightly. "Well there's my mother…but she's been…ill. I really don't think she could have had the strength to create a portal."

Kalen scratched the back of his head. "So that's why you're wary? Because everyone you think could have done it, really couldn't have?"

"Exactly."

The mood had suddenly turned dark in the camp. Link fidgeted uncomfortably in the silence that pervaded. Nina cleared her throat, and they all looked up at her.

"Um, before I forget, I wanted to ask why that…_sister_ of yours was able to sense her artifact was nearby when we met her, but you said that you couldn't sense yours."

Luna smiled, her mind taken away from her troubles as she remembered the sister of hers that she knew was ok. "That's because Reiya is a sorceress. She's much more in tune with magic than I am. She's always been much better at sensing things than me. She always used to tell me if I wasn't actually _holding_ my mirror in my hands, I wouldn't be able to sense it unless I tripped over it!" she giggled.

Link grinned, happy to see her out of her momentary gloom. "Ha! Well you're probably better than all of us at sensing magic."

Nina rolled her eyes. "That isn't saying much Link. It is kind of her _job_ to be in tune with magic. You know, being a goddess priestess and all."

Link gave her a bland look. "I was _trying_ to be nice…"

"Well _I_ was being realistic." The brunette stretched her arms over her head, yawning. "And speaking of realistic, it's late. We should get to bed so we can get up bright and early to start searching."

She grabbed Luna by the arm and pulled her to her feet. "Come on, Luna. Let's go to bed." She dragged her off to their tent.

"Goodnight ladies!" Kalen called after them.

The tent flap closing was his only reply. He immediately turned to Link, a devious grin on his face.

"Soooooo!"

"Shut up, Kalen," Link replied immediately, scratching the back of his head as he headed for their own tent.

"Aw come on! You've gotta give me details!"

"There _are_ no details! Go to sleep!"

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

A/N: As I was writing this chapter, I started to develop new ideas for the future which kind of changed how I originally planned things. That's always fun. Anyway, please review.

-LunaRyuu


	8. Chapter 8: Nayru's Mirror

Chapter 8: Nayru's Mirror

_Sparks flew hundreds of feet in the air. Magic and steel clashed fiercely. The heavens swirled dangerously above as thunder boomed deafeningly and lightning struck the ground only feet away from the intense battle._

_Two figures collided and a white explosion ensued, incinerating everything in its wake. Two haggard warriors stood there when the explosion had subsided, both barely able to stand. The raven haired woman collapsed to her knees after putting up a valiant battle of staying her ground, her breathing heavy. The crimson haired warrior across from her laughed, though this was her own downfall as she also fell to her knees._

_Large, determined amethyst eyes met cold bottomless ebony ones and a smirk came to the crimson haired woman's lips. The raven haired woman struggled to her feet. She held her hands before her in the shape of a triangle and closed her eyes, her entire body glowing in an eerie light. Ebony orbs narrowed at the sight. _

"_What are you doing?" the sorceress demanded, her smile wiped clean from her face, replaced by a nasty snarl._

"_Something I know I'll regret for the rest of my life," the raven haired woman replied. She opened her eyes, her normally amethyst eyes now shining a divine white and gold. "But I will do anything to banish you from these lands."_

_The crimson sorceress's eyes widened in realization. "You're a fool!" she shrieked._

_A golden light enveloped the raven-haired woman and a beam shot from her hands, piercing the sorceress through. She screamed in agony as the light enveloped her body, melting away at her skin, sinew, and bone, until there was nothing left but the ghastly silhouette of a large dark spirit in the shape of a face, twice the size of the woman's original body. The light from the raven haired woman dragged the spirit towards her. She tilted her head back and opened her mouth and the spirit was drawn down into her body, the last of its screams cut off by the woman closing her mouth. _

()()()()()()()()()()()

Link's eyes flew open, meeting darkness inside the tent. He brought a hand to his head and felt his burning hot skin plastered with his moist hair. A sliver of sunlight fell upon his chest from a crack in the tent flaps. He heard the sound of rustling to his left, and glanced over at the lump in the covers that was Kalen. The young hero grunted softly and sat up, rubbing his pounding head. The last visuals of the dream slipped quickly from his mind, and he was left with a strange swirling sensation in his stomach.

Outside, the hero washed his face in the lake, the cool waters welcoming to his warm skin. He stared down at his reflection and an almost unrecognizable face stared back at him. He didn't literally look much different, aside from his red eyes, he simply didn't look at his face very often. He thought back to the last time he had looked at himself, which was only the day before: his birthday. The day had come and gone without much of a fuss. He wondered belatedly if Zelda or Malon had even remembered. He hadn't seen either of them yesterday so it was possible they had, but simply didn't have a chance to see him.

The sound of footsteps pulled Link from his thoughts, and he glanced over his shoulder to see Luna standing timidly behind him. She was fully dressed, with her hair pulled back into a neat braid, so it was obvious she had been up for a while.

"Morning," he murmured to her, wiping his face dry on his sleeves. She nodded back to him and sat down beside him.

"Morning," she replied with a smile.

She looked up into the rising sun as it cast oranges across the sky and closed her eyes, letting the sunlight kiss her face and hair. Link looked at her, the strange swirling feeling in his stomach returning for a moment. She seemed more familiar now; he couldn't put his finger on why. He shook his head, metaphorically shaking his thoughts away as well.

"Is Nina awake?"

Luna opened her brilliant blue eyes and gazed over at Link. "No. I've been up for a couple hours. I wasn't able to sleep very well."

"Used to sleeping in a nice comfy bed?" Link asked with a wiry smile.

Luna shook her head, her braid smacking him lightly in the arm. "It's not that. I had a strange dream about my mirror."

Link raised an eyebrow. The events of his own dream were all but forgotten at this point. "Strange?"

"Yes…I dreamt about a golden bird. It held my mirror in its claws and beckoned me to follow it. I chased after it, but no matter how fast I ran, I could not catch up to it…"

Link scratched the side of his head. "Do you think it was a prophetic dream, or just a regular one?"

Luna shrugged. "I'm not sure. My head is all fuzzy. Usually I can tell if it is a prophetic dream because everything about it is scarily real. But here…the magic is not as concentrated as back home, so it's hard to tell."

Link leaned back onto his arms with his knees bent and looked up at the sky. "Hmm…I never thought of Hyrule as lacking in magic…"

"You two out here alone again?"

The two of them whirled around to see Nina standing there, her hair a little ruffled and an annoyed expression on her face. "I can't keep my eyes off of you for one second!"

Luna smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I couldn't sleep very well last night. Link was keeping me company."

The brunette crossed her arms over her chest. She jerked her head in the direction of the guys' tent. "Well go wake Kalen. We need to get started on the search," she said to Link.

Link pouted. "Kalen's impossible to wake up…" he whined.

Nina's eye twitched. "Not as impossible as you! Goddesses, do I have to do everything around here?" she grumbled, throwing her hands into the air and marching over to the guys' tent. She pulled the tent flap open forcefully and stepped inside.

"AHHH!"

Link and Luna jumped at the sound of Kalen's cry of pain and watched nervously as Nina exited the tent moments later looking accomplished.

"He's up," she said simply.

She stopped, eyeing the two of them for a moment. "Looks like you already washed up Luna. Link you should get to it too." She pointed towards the lake shore, by the ruined Zora structure where the edge of it created a short wall, blocking view from the other side. "I'm going to bathe right there. You and Kalen better be _far_ away."

Link nodded. "Of course. I'll go check on Kalen…make sure he's still breathing…"

Luna brought a hand to her mouth nervously, her eyes darting fearfully between the tent and Nina. "Wh-what? What did you do to him?"

Nina shrugged. "I elbow dropped on his back," she replied nonchalantly.

Luna's eyes nearly bugged out of her head, but Link laughed. "Don't worry, Luna. He's really resilient. I'm sure he's fine." He disappeared inside of the tent.

About an hour later, they were all cleaned up, their horses fed, and their campsite cleared out. Link stretched his arms above his head and yawned. "How do you think we should go about this? Split up? Work together?"

"Well how will we know if it's her mirror if we find something?" Kalen asked, scratching his head.

Nina rolled her eyes. "What other mirror would you find lying around here? Besides, the lake isn't too big. We'll always be within yelling distance. If anyone finds anything we can just give a holler."

"So I guess you're for splitting up then," Link said.

Nina nodded, turning to him. "We'll cover more ground that way. If it's a magical artifact like Luna says, it should be pretty distinct. And even lug head over there should be able to sense some magic from it if he were the one that found it." Kalen gave her a cross look.

"Um…"

They all turned to Luna, who timidly raised her finger in question. "What if it's at the bottom of the lake?"

Link smiled. "Don't worry. I have my iron boots and the Zora tunic from before. I'll be able to search every inch of the lake bed…but I'll leave that as a last resort."

Luna smiled in relief and nodded. "Ok. Umm…is it alright if I searched with one of you guys?"

Nina stepped up before Link or Kalen could reply. "Yes, you're coming with me," she said firmly, grabbing her by the side of the head and dragging her in the direction of the lake laboratory. The two guys shrugged and went off in their own directions.

Hours had passed by, with no results. The sun towered overhead at noon, bearing down on them with its relentless heat. It wasn't necessarily unbearably hot, but the lack of shade made things a tad uncomfortable for the adventurers.

Nina threw her hands up in the air, exasperatedly. "I've had it! Had it, had it, had it!"

Luna blinked confusedly at her as the brunette plopped herself frustratedly on the ground beside the Gossip Stone on the hill near where Gerudo River fed into the lake.

"Please, Ms. Nina…we can't give up now!"

Nina shot the blue haired priestess a glare from her position on the soft grass. "We've been looking for hours with no sign of _anything_ for some object we're honestly not even that sure is here. How can I _not_ be aggravated and ready to give up?"

Luna lowered her head. "You don't believe my vision?" she asked quietly.

Nina huffed. "I don't really believe in that prophetic vision hogwash. If I can see it, I'll believe in it. Healing magic, destruction magic, that kinda stuff you can see, experience. Everything else just seems like nonsense. I guess that's why I'm not such a huge fan of the Princess. Boy is she _famous_ for her 'visions.' But whatever."

Luna's lip trembled. "But I saw the mirror here…you have to trust me!"

Nina sighed, glancing up at Luna again. "Well the guys haven't found anything, and neither have we. What am I supposed to think then?"

"Luna! Nina! We found something!" came Link's voice at this moment.

Luna shot an uncharacteristic smirk at Nina and waved to Link who stood on the bridge, calling to them. "We'll be right over!" She pulled Nina to her feet, much to the whining young woman's surprise and annoyance, and together they ran to meet up with the guys.

They arrived shortly after on the island with the giant dead tree. Luna gasped as soon as she set foot on the island, her eyes falling upon a softly glowing object resting against the trunk.

"Oh come on. How could you guys have missed it?" Nina grumbled.

Kalen crossed his arms in defense. "Hey! We _looked_ here, and it definitely wasn't here then."

"Yeah, it's strange. Maybe it didn't deem us worthy of finding it until we were just about ready to call it a day," Link agreed with a light chuckle.

Luna silently approached the mirror, falling to her knees before it. It was a lovely thing: pale blue in color, oval shaped with the horizontal axis being the elongated side, and ornate designs all along the rim. The surface was polished so perfectly that it reflected the sunrays powerfully onto Luna, creating a warm spot on her chest. She reached for it and took it gingerly into her hands, examining every inch of it to make sure there were no scratches or cracks. On the back was an insignia: 3 crescents joined with their mouths facing outwards and a colored in circle within each.

"Hey, that's Nayru's symbol," Kalen pointed out.

"Duh. She's a priestess of Nayru. Of course her artifact will have the goddess's symbol on it," Nina snapped, still kind of irritated that the guys hadn't found the object that had been hiding in plain sight.

"What's your problem? I was just thinking out loud," he grumbled in reply.

"My problem is that we wasted hours searching for something that was sitting out in the open this whole time!"

"We already told you it wasn't here when we looked the first time!"

"I think you just weren't looking hard enough! You saying it just materialized here, _conveniently_ after you had walked away from it?"

Link intervened at this moment. "It may sound like we're just making excuses, but Nina, I promise you, that's what happened. I searched this tree. It was one of the first places I looked, with it being so close to the doorway portal and all. It wasn't here then."

"Maybe it fell from the tree," was Luna's quiet reply.

Link raised an eyebrow as the others all turned to her.

"Umm….you sure? It doesn't look scratched up at all…" Kalen scratched his head, leaning back to take a gander at the tall tree they stood before. "That's a pretty long fall…"

Luna smiled lightly, glad that the yelling was over. "Well I'm just glad that I have found my mirror now."

Link smiled as well. "Yeah, I am too. I feel like we've finally accomplished something."

"We _have_ accomplished something…" Nina muttered under her breath.

Luna slowly stood to her feet, holding the mirror reverently in her hands. Link took a step towards her, wanting to get a better look at the elusive object that they finally managed to retrieve.

The mirror grew suddenly very hot in Luna's hands. In surprise she nearly dropped it, but years of training forced her to hold onto it. A bright beam of light shot out of the surface of the mirror, blinding her. She brought an arm up to her face to shield her eyes from the devastating light. "Ahh!" she screamed.

"Wha- what the hell?" Kalen exclaimed as the beam shot high into the sky, possibly visible from all across the land of Hyrule.

"Luna, are you alright?" Link cried, running to her side. The moment he touched her, the beam expanded past the rim of the mirror and engulfed the entire island the four of them stood upon. When the light faded, there was not a sign of life left behind.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

A/N: I was initially gonna make this chapter much longer, but since I haven't posted anything in awhile, I decided to end it here. Ooo yes, cliffhanger!

-LunaRyuu


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